Creating Custom Challenge Coins For The Special Forces

Challenge coins are a long-standing tradition in every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. These custom coins are presented as a way to honor particular units, missions, or events, and to foster unit cohesiveness and camaraderie. They’re a time-honored way to commemorate exceptional performance, including for Special Forces units.

Challenge Coins: The Basics

While there’s no universally accepted history of how challenge coins originated, the most common version is that they began with a lieutenant in the Army Air Corps in World War I. He had custom coins made for all the men in his squad.

One flyer was shot down and captured by the Germans. Stripped of all his identification except the coin, he was able to escape and make his way to a French squad. They prepared to execute him, believing him to be a German spy. When he was able to produce his coin to prove his identity, they returned him safely to his unit. As a result, those who receive challenge coins traditionally carry them at all times.

Military members can receive challenge coins for many reasons, including participating in a specific deployment, operation or mission, reaching training goals and belonging to certain units. Each coin tells a very specific story for each recipient. Challenge coins inspire pride while providing a unique way to commemorate the past. They’re especially well-suited for recognizing Special Forces teams, and for commemorating squad membership

Special Forces: The Basics

Special Forces are high performance units, highly trained and motivated to carry out specific, often covert, operations. The Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines each have their own Special Forces units.

NATO defines special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, trained, and equipped forces, manned with selected personnel, using unconventional tactics, techniques, and modes of employment."

Whether Navy SEALs, Army Rangers or members of other special squads, their tasks often involve a high degree of risk. Special Forces troops run reconnaissance and surveillance in hostile environments, oversee hostage rescues, and much more.

Elite Squads, High Risk Missions

Special Forces troops are truly the elite members of the military. They maintain intense physical fitness, use cutting edge technology and methods, and are often assigned the most hazardous missions of any unit.

For example, Navy SEAL Team 6 was tasked with the elimination of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon and killed nearly 3,000 Americans. In 2011, SEAL Team 6 staged a covert night raid in Pakistan that resulted in the death of the al-Qaeda leader.

Similarly, an Army Delta Force operation in 1989 led to the capture of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega who was wanted on drug and racketeering charges.

Honoring with Challenge Coins

Challenge coins are the ideal way to honor these brave individuals. You can present custom coins to commemorate successful operations, recognize exemplary performance or unit longevity. Squads can design and order their own custom coins to show unit cohesiveness and pride. Challenge coins have become an entity unto themselves. 

Each branch offers its own special challenge coins. Traditionally, the exchange of challenge coins takes place in a low-key, one to one manner, passed through a simple handshake. Of course, you can always present coins at formal recognition ceremonies as well, or just within your own squad or unit.

Designing Special Forces Coins

Creating your own special forces coin design is easy. Start with the squad, team or unit you want to honor or celebrate. Include logos, signatures or emblems that are unique to the unit. You can create a design for one or both sides of the coin.

Consider the shape of your coin. You can order virtually any shape you want, not just round coins. Whether you want coins shaped like a ship, a submarine, an aircraft or anything related to your squad or its mission, we can make it happen.

You can choose from a range of metal finishes, including gold, silver, copper, brass and black nickel. Choose a polished finish for a clean, contemporary look, or an antiqued finish for classic style. Add custom colors to represent your unit insignia.

Options

Add options to truly personalized your coins. Sequential numbering is especially popular for elite units. You can create a true limited edition that’s unique to your team. You can even add another message engraved around the edge of the coin.

Cutouts add a dramatic visual flair to your coins. The open space highlights the contrasting elements of your design. Diamond-cut edges add brilliance to your coins, giving them extra facets to reflect light.

If you want to add extra functionality to your coins, you can even have them made into bottle openers or keychains. Give your squad something they will use often.

We offer additional options as well, including custom presentation boxes, velvet bags, coin stands and more. Ask your sales representative for more information about these and other options.

Count on Us for Custom Coins

At ChallengeCoins4Less.com, we have created custom challenge coins for every branch of the U.S. military for more than 20 years. We are honored to create such special coins, and we have earned the trust of thousands of satisfied customers around the. world. We are committed to providing outstanding products, unbeatable prices, and unrivaled customer service. 

We offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Should you find any coin you purchase from us to be defective in either materials or workmanship, we will replace it at no extra charge to you. 

We understand the importance and honor of challenge coins, and we will work with you to create coins that are unique and memorable. Want to find out more? Call us toll free at (855) 272-8451, or email us. If you have a design in mind, fill out our free quote form and we’ll send you a free digital proof of your design. No matter what kind of design you can imagine, we can turn it into great looking challenge coins. Let us show you how easy ordering and designing custom challenge coins can be.