WSU adds Space Force recognition
Nov. 11—The next batch of commemorative military coins at Washington State University will include the country's newest military branch: Space Force.
An updated design ordered by the WSU Office of Veterans Affairs includes Space Force among the five other military branches — Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard — which are noted on the back of the challenge coins. Student veterans receive the coins when they graduate.
WSU Veterans Coordinator Penny Martinez said challenge coins are part of a military tradition dating back to World War I.
"They started out as a form of immediate recognition," Martinez said. "During my time in the service, if you got coined, that meant you're getting recognized for something you did."
As an Army veteran herself, Martinez has several coins, but the one she's most proud of came from the Department of Defense. She carries it in her wallet.
Stories of the tradition's origins describe an officer who led volunteer American pilots into the war in Europe and gave his troops custom-designed coins to boost morale, according to a news release from WSU. When one of these pilots was shot down behind enemy lines, he supposedly used the coin to convince French soldiers he was an ally.
The coins have remained popular with members of the military ever since.
"It's a longstanding military tradition," Martinez said. "A lot of the veterans organizations will make their own because it's a continuation of the tradition."
The WSU challenge coin was first minted in 2016 as a token of appreciation for student veterans and their contributions.
Ryan Adamson, a junior at WSU and member of the Army ROTC and Army National Guard, said the coins are symbolic. He was given his first challenge coin from a recruiter the day he enlisted.
After nearly three years into his service, he's collected a few additional coins.
"I thought it symbolized what I'm expected to represent in the future," Adamson said. "Every veteran keeps theirs."
Martinez said there are at least two active-duty members of the Space Force currently enrolled in online graduate programs at the university.
Space Force is an independent branch of the military carved out of the Air Force in December 2019, similar to how the Marine Corps rose out of the Navy. It was also notably championed by former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail.
"Let's just say Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Trek jokes have run rampant," she said. "In all honesty, it's another branch of the forces so they'll get their due respect and earn their place among the ranks. It's new to everybody."
Palermo can be reached at apalermo@dnews.com or on Twitter @apalermotweets.
