What Is the Story Behind Coins Being Left On Headstones?
While visiting some cemeteries, you may notice that headstones on certain graves have coins on them, left by previous visitors to the grave. We recently visited the gravesite of John Baker "Texas Jack" Omohundro in Leadville, Colorado. There were various coins left on his headstone. To learn more about Texas Jack, I recommend Googling him.
These coins usually have distinct meanings when left on the headstones of those who lost their lives while serving in America's military, and these meanings vary depending on the denomination of the coin. The coins are also left to honor veterans who have passed away. I say that, usually, as Texas Jack passed away on 28 June 1880, coins of various denominations were left on his headstone.
A coin left on a headstone or at the gravesite is meant as a message to the deceased soldier's family that someone else has visited the grave to pay respect. Leaving a penny (one-cent piece or 1¢) at the grave means simply that you visited. A nickel (5¢) indicates that you and the deceased trained at Basic Combat Training/Recruit Training/Basic Military Training "boot camp" together, while a dime (10¢) means you served with the deceased in some capacity. By leaving a quarter (25¢) at the grave, you are telling the family that you were with the soldier when he was killed. This practice of leaving a certain denomination of coin seems to have started around June of 2009 on a website post.
Also, challenge and unit coins are being left on gravesites. These tokens usually bear the emblem of the deceased's military unit. These coins are usually left there by the service member's brothers-in-arms. Unit coins are given to recognize a service member's contributions to a unit, while challenge coins are given to recognize a member's achievement or to commemorate a special event. There are also commander's coins and military coins. The commander's coin is awarded to a military member for reaching career goals or going above and beyond the call of duty. Military coins are small tokens that symbolize membership, camaraderie, and excellence in the military. They are all considered a challenge coin. Today, challenge coins come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
The oldest and first challenge coin is thought to have been produced by Colonel William "Buffalo Bill" Quinn. Quinn had the coins made for those who served in his 17th Infantry Regiment from 1950 to 1958. On one side of the coin is a picture of a buffalo with the date 1812, which signified the year the regiment was formed. On the other side was the 17th Infantry patch, which dates from 1950 to 1958, and the word Korea was used to signify the tour. The cross and fort icon represents the unit's heritage, which started in Cuba during the Civil War.
Challenge coins gained popularity during the Vietnam War with the Special Forces. COL Vernon E. Green, 10th SFGA Commander in 1969, is said to have made the first one for Special Forces as a fundraiser. The coin had the unit's badge and motto in 1969. The 10th Special Forces Group is said to be the only Army unit with its own coin until the mid-1980s. It is also said that COL Green got the idea from the 11th Special Forces Group, which took old coins, had them overstamped with a different emblem, and then presented them to unit members.
The challenge coin tradition has spread to other military units, in all branches of service, and even to non-military organizations, as well as the United States Congress, which produces challenge coins for members of Congress to give to constituents. Today, challenge coins are given to members upon joining an organization, as an award to improve morale, and sold to commemorate special occasions or as fundraisers. In the Air Force, military training instructors award an airman's coin to new enlisted personnel upon completion of their United States Air Force Basic Military Training and to new officers upon completion of the Air Force Officer Training School. Presidential challenge coins date back to the late 1990s.
The tradition of a challenge is the most common way to ensure that members carry their unit's coin. The rules of a challenge are not always formalized for a unit and may vary between organizations. The challenge only applies to those members who have been given a coin formally by their unit. A member of a unit may call a "coin check" by slapping the coin down on a table. Everyone being challenged must immediately produce the coin for their organization, and anyone failing to do so must buy a round of drinks for the challenger and everyone else who has their challenge coin. However, should everyone challenged be able to produce their coin, the challenger must buy a round of drinks for the group.
The Roman Empire rewarded soldiers by presenting them with coins to recognize their achievements. Challenge coins were also known as "Portrait Medals" during the Renaissance and were often used to commemorate specific events involving royalty, nobility, or other types of well-to-do individuals.
Another story goes that during World War I, a wealthy lieutenant ordered medallions struck in solid bronze and given out to members of his flying squadron. A pilot who was shot down behind German lines and captured had one in a leather pouch around his neck. The Germans took everything from him except his pouch with the medallion. The pilot escaped and was captured by the French; the medallion helped prove to the French that he was not a German spy. There are many stories about the origins of the Challenge Coin on the internet.
According to tradition, the money left at graves in national cemeteries and state veterans' cemeteries is eventually collected, and the funds are put toward maintaining the cemetery or paying burial costs for indigent veterans.
In the U.S., this practice of leaving a coin (no particular denomination) became common during the Vietnam War, due to the political divide in the country over the war; leaving a coin was seen as a more practical way to communicate that you had visited the grave than contacting the soldier's family, which could devolve into an uncomfortable argument over politics relating to the war.
The tradition of leaving coins on the headstones of military men and women can be traced as far back as the Greek and Roman Empires.
In Greek mythology, Charon (in Roman mythology, Charun) is the ferryman of Hades, the Greek god of the underworld. It was required to pay Charon to ferry the deceased across the rivers Styx (River of Hate) and Acheron (River of Woe, Misery, Pain) and into the world of the dead. Coins were placed in the eyes of the deceased or under the tongue of the fallen. This was called Charon's Obol, also known as viaticum "provision for a journey", (the obolus was a silver coin in ancient Athens, Greece). The practice seems to have started around the 5th century BCE. Souls who could not pay the fare had to wander the shores of Styx for 100 years. The Roman god of the underworld is Orcus. Styx and Acheron are two of the five rivers of the underworld; the others are Cocytus (River of Lamentation), Phlegethon (River of Fire), and Lethe (River of Forgetfulness).
In Navy mythology, coins were placed under the mast of a ship to pay the "ferryman" for safe transport to the afterlife in the event sailors died at sea.
In England and the United States, pennies were placed on the closed eyes of the dead. It is also believed that placing coins on the eyes of the dead was historically done to make sure the eyes remained closed, out of the superstitious fear that looking into the eyes of the deceased would reveal our own death. The older pennies (one-cent pieces, 1¢) were larger in size than today's pennies and were as large as today's half-dollars (50¢). In 1858, the U.S. penny (one-cent piece, 1¢) became the size we see today.
At the gravesite of William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846 - 1917), Lookout Mountain, Colorado the placing of coins on his grave started in 1923. A group of Oglala Lakota (Sioux) led by Chief Spotted Weasel "Itonkasan Gleska," a former performer with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, visited his grave. They put Indian head (buffalo) nickels on the grave to honor Buffalo Bill. The image on the nickel (1913 - 1938) is comprised of three Native American chiefs. They are the Oglala Lakota Chief Iron Tail, Cheyenne Chief Two Moons, and Kiowa Chief John Big Tree. Iron Tail "Siŋté Máza" was a long time friend of Cody and also a performer in the Wild West show. The tradition of putting money on the grave has continued ever since. Today U.S. and foreign coins of different denominations are placed on his grave. William Cody is a recipient of the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action on 26 April 1872. He served as a Private (Chief of Scouts) for the 3rd U.S. Cavalry, at Loupe Fork of the Platte River, Nebraska. His Medal of Honor was revoked in a review of 1916-1917 because they considered him a civilian scout instead of a soldier. Upon further review, in June 1989, the Medal of Honor was restored. Buffalo Bill's Native American name, given to him by the Sioux Nation, was Pahaska or "Long hair".
Today, we also have Wreath Across America and the EOD Warrior Foundation (EDOWF) Flag Programs. Wreaths Across America is an American nonprofit organization established in 2007 by wreath producer Morill Worester. Its primary activity is distributing Veteran's wreaths for placement on graves in military cemeteries. In December 2008, the United States Senate agreed to a resolution that designated December 13, 2008, as Wreaths Across America Day.
Subsequent National Wreaths Across America Days have been designated on the second or third Saturday of December.
The EOD Warrior Foundation Flag Program was created in 2021 as a memorial to honor and remember all deceased EOD Technicians, regardless of years of service, branch, or cause of death. The goal is to have a flag placed on every EOD grave throughout the summer and by Veterans Day every year through a team of volunteers. Each year there is a different flag design. For Arlington National Cemetery, they have a requirement that anything left on a grave has to be biodegradable. For 2024, that will be a white rose with a tag.
There is a link on the EODWF website to sign up as a volunteer. Website: FLAG PROJECT | EOD Warrior Foundation Memorial. I have also created a Virtual EOD Cemetery that is used by the EODWF. Link: EOD: a Virtual Cemetery - Find a Grave
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