[ikka]

He reached into his pocket and took out a coin. He told the President: ‘I ate Thanksgiving dinner with your father in Kuwait 10 years ago right before we jumped, and I gave him one of these. Now I want you to have this one.’ The President grabbed him and gave him a huge bear hug- flashbulbs popped. So if you see a picture of the President hugging some random old guy, that’s General Tant. Have to find out more about the coin…there has to be more of a story there….

I have heard that some divisions have their own "regimental coin" which is given out as a sign that you are a friend of theirs. This could be what it is.

[Old Sarge]

I have heard that some divisions have their own "regimental coin" which is given out as a sign that you are a friend of theirs. This could be what it is.

That's EXACTLY what it is. The Commander's Coin is a symbol of respect, and a job well done. It's a big recognition for a soldier, getting a coin.

And now GWB's got his, like his father before him. Magnificent!

[Eagle Eye]

That's right. And if the President is ever in that unit's AO again he'd better have that coin on him. If not, he's duty bound to buy drinks!

[FreedomPoster]

Willie and Joe ping for that item. Good stuff.

[Prodigal Son]

Another note on coins- I know that at least as high up the Chain as the Sec'y of Defense have them. I had a buddy who got one from William Perry in Bosnia.

The coins are pretty cool. Everybody is going to get ribbons and medals if they stay in long enough but not everybody has a coin and soldiers will like to pull theirs out and compare it to other soldiers' coins if they have them. They're almost like the military version of baseball cards in a way. The circumstances under which each soldier got his is unique, it almost always means he met the person who gave him the coin and there are a lot of different ones- some obviously more rare than others. A good commander will keep a few in his pocket. It's a really good way to on-the-spot pat a soldier on the back and say "good job".