No, not COIN as in Counterinsurgency, though we do that too. Coin as in challenge
coin -- you know, those little things the Army has been flinging around for many
years and the Marine Corps eventually glommed onto as well, and now they're everywhere.
Well, they're finally here now, too.
For your donation of $50, we'll send
you a freshly minted SWJ Challenge Coin as a thank you gift. Wield it with
the vigor and flair appropriate to its magnificence. For those interested
in such details, these are 1 3/4" coins, the perfect size, not too tiny and not
too big. Just like most wars.
Small Wars Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Contributions are tax deductible for U.S. taxpayers.
Prior donors please note, now that we've finally got these, we'll be rummaging
through our records of past donors and contacting those of you that are coin-qualifying
from prior support to see if you'd like one. You are of course always
welcome to donate again, but we remember and appreciate what you've already
done. We'll be in touch soon.
Update 1: The front image is called Tracking Bin Laden and was painted by U.S. Army Center of Military History, Museum Division's staff artist Sergeant First Class Elzie Ray Golden, U.S. Army. The back image is called After the Battle and was painted by Michael R. Crook; Tan Hep, Vietnam, 1967. Both paintings are part of the U.S. Army art collection.
Update 2: Tip of the hat to Carl Prine at Line of Departure for his post COINtribute! BLUF: "The Small Wars Journal Foundation is a 501C3 nonprofit. The founders don't seem to have made any moolah off of it and they mostly get by with slave labor from cranky Army majors. Those unpaid editors bring us not only the best essays of the COINdinistas but also (and increasingly) the ripostes of dissenters who don't drink the Kool-Aid."
Update 3: Tip of the hat to Mark Safranski at Zenpundit for his post It Takes a Big Man to Know the Value of a Small Wars Coin. BLUF: "I've got mine. Get yours! It is pretty weighty, moreso than a Liberty silver dollar. And it is a slick presentation."
Comments
The first wave of coin shipments went out on Wednesday and started arriving today. Second wave out tomorrow. First e-mail review:
<i>I received my SWJ Challenge coin today. It looks terrific, even cooler than my Blackwater coin (you know how creative PMCs are with marketing). You did a very nice job.</i>
Standing by...
Thank you Charles, <i>much appreciated</i>. We survive on a "shoe-string" budget, depend on volunteers for a large majority of our day to day ops, and are at a point that <i>additional funding is critical</i> - not that it isn't just about all the time. We still have plenty of coins and if I say so myself, they look great.
The front image is called <i>Tracking Bin Laden</i> and was painted by U.S. Army Center of Military History, Museum Division's staff artist Sergeant First Class Elzie Ray Golden, U.S. Army.
The back image is called <i>After the Battle</i> and was painted by Michael R. Crook; Tan Hep, Vietnam, 1967.
Both paintings are part of the U.S. Army art collection.