Band of Brothers, What’s the coin all about?

I have received a few inquiries as to the nature of the military coin, which Coach Mendenhall introduced to the team. Later, I was contacted by the owner of the coin manufactuer Brain Carter who explained to me the meaning behind the coin and how he essentially “pitched” the coin idea to Coach Mendenhall.

It’s interesting and relates to the Band of Brothers theme.

Story Behind the Coins.

During World War 1, American volunteers from all parts of the country filled the newly formed flying squadrons. Some were wealthy scions attending colleges such as Yale and Harvard who quit in mid-term to join the war. In one squadron, a wealthy lieutenant ordered medallions struck in solid bronze and presented them to his unit. One young pilot placed the medallion in a small leather pouch that he wore about his neck.

Shortly after acquiring the medallions, the pilots’ aircraft was severely damaged by ground fire. He was forced to land behind enemy lines and was immediately captured by a German patrol. In order to discourage his escape, the Germans took all of his personal identification except for the small leather pouch around his neck. In the meantime, he was taken to a small French town near the front. Taking advantage of a bombardment that night, he escaped. However, he was without personal identification.
He succeeded in avoiding German patrols by donning civilian attire and reached the front lines. With great difficulty, he crossed no-man’s land. Eventually, he stumbled onto a French outpost. Unfortunately, saboteurs had plagued the French in the sector. They sometimes masqueraded as civilians and wore civilian clothes. Not recognizing the young pilot’s American accent, the French thought him to be a saboteur and made ready to execute him. He had no identification to prove his allegiance, but he did have his leather pouch containing the medallion. He showed the medallion to his would-be executioners and one of his French captors recognized the squadron insignia on the medallion. They delayed his execution long enough for him to confirm his identity. Instead of shooting him they gave him a bottle of wine.

Back at his squadron, it became tradition to ensure that all members carried their medallion or coin at all times. This was accomplished through challenge in the following manner - a challenger would ask to see the medallion. If the challenged could not produce a medallion, they were required to buy a drink of choice for the member who challenged them. If the challenged member produced a medallion, then the challenging member was required to pay for the drink. This tradition continued on throughout the war and for many years after the war while surviving members of the squadron were still alive.

Today the coins are used by every squadron, brogade and group in the military. They are used to build a sense of brotherhood, a reminder of your purpose, and as a token of belonging. They mean a great deal to those that carry them and have decided to give their lives in service of our great country.

How I (Brian) introduced them to Bronco.

I have a friend, Dave Broberg, that works there at BYU. We created a coin that was geard towards LDS youth to remind them of who they are and the purpose that they have while preparing for and serving a mission. It depicts an image of a warrior on one side and then a shodow of a warrior behind a missionary on the other. (I have attached a picture of the coin for your viewing pleasure..) Anyway, I gave one of these coins to Dave and asked that he get one to Bronco. He gave it to him and not much happened.

I decided that we would come up with some design ideas and came up with the flag bearer and the “Quest for perfection” theme. Having read what the flag bearer means to the team and how that person is selected is why we came up with that idea for the coin. I sent an e-mail to Bronco and explained the purpose of the coin. I mentioned that it was to build brotherhood and your teams sense of purpose. Bronco asked that we include the mission statement and we had our design.

Our nations flag stands for freedom, our rights, and our ability to fight for what we believe in. The coin is used in a similar fashion to represent the ideals of a smaller group. For the military it represents the oaths, promises, and triumphs that each person undertakes. It represents the sweat, blood and tears that are required to accomplish your mission as a whole. For the football team it is much more than a trinket to keep in your pocket. It represents all the hard work in the weight room or in hot August practices. The coins represent the work that goes into becomming a band of brothers.

Brian Carter