By Matthew Wadler:
One of the first things that I did when I became an Army JROTC instructor was to order us some Battalion Coins. After all, no military organization worth its salt would ever be without a unit coin. To the best of my knowledge, the origin of the military challenge coin is cloaked in mystery. The most widely distributed story is that in WWI, an allied pilot was shot down over France. He had a medallion with his military emblem emblazoned upon it that he pulled off his plane. While avoiding the Germans, he was captured by the French resistance, who believed he was a spy. As a spy, he was sentenced to death by firing squad, but prior to him being shot, he remembered that he had this coin in his possession. He showed his captors the emblem and one of them recognized it. They stayed his execution until they could prove his identity.
Whether or not this story is true, it has stuck and become a piece of military folklore. In the modern military, coins are collected and revered. They are also checked. To conduct a coin check, one simply drops their coin on a table, ground, or anything else that will cause the coin to make a loud clinking sound upon impact. Then, everyone in the vicinity needs to produce their unit coin and show it to the individual conducting the check. If the coin is not in their immediate vicinity, they do not get credit for having it. If everyone has them, the one who initiated the check has to buy everyone a beer. If people do not have a coin, they have to buy those that have their coin a beer instead.
Since the cadets in my class were high school students, I figured it might be in bad form to ask the loser of a coin check to buy another student a beer, so we changed the rules a bit. We came up with a Coin Crew Plaque; every time a student received a coin, their name was added to that list. When the check was initiated, everyone on the list who was present had to produce their coin. If they did not have it, they had to do ten burpees. If they all had their coins, the one who initiated it had to do ten burpees for each person who was checked. It was a fun way to build esprit de corps and highlight fitness.
Every time we gave out a coin, we made a spectacle of the event. The citation was read and the students came up to the front of the formation to receive their coin. In order to receive a coin, the person had to do something well above and beyond the typical conduct that we expected from our cadets. As such, these coins were highly sought after, but seldom given out. By the end of the year, we only had approximately fifteen students with coins (out of a class of roughly 250).
Sadly, there was an illness in the family that necessitated me quitting my job and moving out of the state. I loved being an instructor, and equally loved the kids with whom I had been privileged to coach, teach, and mentor. At the end of the year, prior to me leaving, I gave my own coin to one of the cadets whom I had really been impressed with. For the sake of this article, I will call him Jason. I never really explained why I gave it to him, only that it was my own personal coin and it was important to me that he received it.
Approximately eight months later, I was sitting in a coffee shop drinking my diabetes in a cup when I got a Facebook message from Jason. He had been talking to some other cadets and they were angry that he had received a coin. All three of these students were on the Raider Team (the JROTC version of an athletic team where students complete a series of events, including a 5k run, obstacle course, HMMWV pull). Jason, however, didn’t make the competition team, while the other two did. In addition, the team that they were on came in first place for the State and Brigade competition that covers several states. My assumption is that this led them to feel they were much more deserving of such an accolade than Jason.
One of the things that I picked up on quickly about Jason was his integrity. He did not make excuses for his failings, and took responsibility for things he dropped the ball on. In listening to the other two cadets tell him that he was unworthy, he started to wonder if he was in fact deserving of receiving this award. He didn’t want a participation award, and I believe that he was truly upset, because he started to look at his lack of accomplishment compared to others who had achieved large victories for the program.
Let me describe Jason for you. Jason comes from a good, all-American family. He would never be mistaken for the typical corn-fed country boy though. Jason stands about five feet tall and weighs maybe 110 lbs. For the Raider Team, he was a decent runner in the 5k, but never had the body mass he needed for the HMMWV pull, litter carry, tire flip, and other similar events. In spite of this, he was out there on the field practicing every single day without exception. Even after he was cut from the competition team, he was still at practice helping out.
Then he went out for the Drill Team. Unfortunately, Jason couldn’t seem to get the cadence down just right. Like the Raider Team, the Drill Team also qualified to compete in multiple state competitions, so Jason was cut from the competition team here as well. He still continued to show up, and asked if he could be in charge of videoing the competitions. Later, when we started up the shooting team, Jason tried out for that as well. Unfortunately for him, Jason needs glasses, so he couldn’t see the targets. Yet that didn’t stop him from coming out after school and shooting.
So, in responding to the question of whether he actually did anything to earn this award, the short answer is no. He never won any accolades nor did he bring any glory to the program. Luckily, I hate short answers. They ignore the subtleties which make up the whole picture. It was the subtleties that allowed David to slay the giant after all, and in this case, Jason was a lot like David.
My life has consisted of one incredible adventure after another. I have never been one to shy away from a new experience, and as such I have lived a very eclectic life. With all of these experiences I have gleaned certain life lessons that, while not a universal constant, have quite a bit of truth to them. One of these lessons is that I don’t put much stock in winners, especially winners who are naturally gifted with talents directly related to the competition. Often, people who always win have never truly been tested. I want to emphasize that this truth does not take away from their accomplishments in anyway.
The best example I can give of this comes from my wife, who taught high-ability students. These kids cruised through school without ever opening a book, and only halfway listened in class. Until, that is, they got to my wife’s class. For the first time in their lives, these kids were receiving B’s and C’s on tests. She had students crying and parents fuming. Some of these children were working on concepts years ahead of their actual school grade. How could she give them a lower grade than an A? How was that fair? After all, the parents argued, the normal children were doing grade-level appropriate work, and receiving better grades than their smart children. She explained to the parents that eventually, whether it was in high school, college, or life, their children were going to be challenged and have to truly work for results. They would likely discover failure of one sort or another at this time. If they never experienced it up to that point, how would they deal with it? Of course, most of the parents didn’t care– it was all about the grade, not the lesson. They only wanted the short answer.
Jason wasn’t that kid. He didn’t care about failure. That isn’t to say that he didn’t apply himself, nor is it to say that he was never motivated to succeed. What he didn’t do, however, was let failure define him or stop him from moving forward. Each time he was knocked down, he got back up, more determined and focused than ever. Jason had in him something that you simply can’t teach.
He had heart.
So, why did he get my coin? He got my coin because he never gave up, no matter what. He never allowed his failures to define who he was. His determination was an example for others to follow. That is simply another way of calling someone a leader. This type of leadership is always more powerful than institutionalized leadership. When someone sets the example for others to follow, they earn their respect on a primitive level. This is something that all leaders strive for, and again, is something that can’t be taught. JROTC is a leadership course and this young man was setting an example for others to follow.
I would take a Jason over someone who has always won and never tasted defeat any day. That is what America is all about. We don’t quit. When we get knocked down, we rise up, stronger and more determined than before. I hate to use this quote. I mean I really hate to use it, but unfortunately, it is as true as it is cheesy. It comes from Sylvester Stallone in the movie Rocky Balboa.
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!”
Remember that the next time you get knocked down, it isn’t about winning or losing, it is about standing back up and going at it again. You will probably be surprised about all the people you will inspire along the way.
Matthew Wadler is a Senior OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army veteran. Matt served in the Army for 20 years as both enlisted and officer before retiring. His service includes time as Military Police, Field Artillery, Adjutant General, and Recruiting. His deployments include Somalia and two tours to Afghanistan. His formal education includes a master’s degree in HR Management. He is a strong supporter of the constitution and advocate for the military and veteran communities. Follow Matthew on Twitter @MatthewWadler.
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