Mitchell Ceremony Coin?

[YesMam]

During the Mitchell ceremony the cadet is handed a coin....they then give that coin to the cadet that gives them their first salute.    What kind of coin is this?   On vanguardmil there are several CAP coins: 

a.  With CAP logo/plane
b.  Silver "In Appreciation" (which can be engraved?)
c.  Gold "Appreciation of Excellence (which can be engraved?)
d.  shaped like a Cessna "coin"

One of our seniors says it's supposed to be an American Dollar coin, another says it's a "special" CAP coin but he didn't know which of the above.  if it's the silver or gold is it supposed to be engraved....and with what?

Asking the cadets, they don't care if it's a dollar coin, but if it's something special they don't actually want to give it away, so they're asking if they can receive the special coin and then turn around and give the first salute cadet a dollar coin, lol. 

 

Help!   

[lordmonar]

I guess it could be anything.

In the military the tradition is that it is a silver dollar.

[Eclipse]

This is apparently a local tradition. First I've even heard of it.

Not a bad idea, but not all Mitchell's are presented this way. I've done a number of them at encampments, etc., where there was no first salute, or anything else but a shake and take.

[Robb Ottenhoff]

I love the idea and want to do a little research to better understand the history. Who's heard of this before and from where.  Clearly there is an AF part (the sliver dollar) but is there anything else that people know about it?

Thanks,

-r

During the Mitchell ceremony the cadet is handed a coin....they then give that coin to the cadet that gives them their first salute.    What kind of coin is this?   On vanguardmil there are several CAP coins: 

a.  With CAP logo/plane
b.  Silver "In Appreciation" (which can be engraved?)
c.  Gold "Appreciation of Excellence (which can be engraved?)
d.  shaped like a Cessna "coin"

One of our seniors says it's supposed to be an American Dollar coin, another says it's a "special" CAP coin but he didn't know which of the above.  if it's the silver or gold is it supposed to be engraved....and with what?

Asking the cadets, they don't care if it's a dollar coin, but if it's something special they don't actually want to give it away, so they're asking if they can receive the special coin and then turn around and give the first salute cadet a dollar coin, lol. 

 

Help!   

[abdsp51]

You are probably refering to the old silver dollar tradition that has been in the military for many many many years.  This traditions is done through all the services.  The tradition stems from the early days of the Armed Forces where a newly commisioned officer "paid" the NCO who trained him prior to receiving his commision.  This evolved to the tradition you see today of the silver dollar, where newly commissioned officers present a silver dollar to the first enlisted member who renders them a salute.

[PHall]

This is apparently a local tradition. First I've even heard of it.

Not a bad idea, but not all Mitchell's are presented this way. I've done a number of them at encampments, etc., where there was no first salute, or anything else but a shake and take.

I have five silver dollars for giving former cadets of mine their first salute as commissioned officers in the military.

Eclipse, take a look at the end of "An Officer and a Gentleman" or even the end of "Pressure Point".

The NCO that renders that first salute gets paid!

It's not a local tradition, it's pretty widespread and by most accounts is over a century old!

[Майор Хаткевич]

I think he meant in a CAP context.

[Private Investigator]

On a sidebar: Isn't the person who graduates last in their class at West Point traditionally given a $1 from all those ahead of them in class rankings?

[Flying Pig]

Ive never heard that being done for a Mitchell cadet.  Question is, which enlisted cadet gets to render the salute?   Is there one in place or is it just whatever cadet he runs into first?  I have a couple silver dollars from 2 AF 2Lt I grew up with.  I was a Marine Sgt when they graduated OCS.

On a side note.... I wouldnt spend to much money on it because its not likely to mean a whole lot to the cadet who ultimately ends up with it.  However, it sounds like a local Sq tradition, not a CAP tradition.  More power to 'ya though. 

[Eclipse]

This is apparently a local tradition. First I've even heard of it.

Not a bad idea, but not all Mitchell's are presented this way. I've done a number of them at encampments, etc., where there was no first salute, or anything else but a shake and take.

I have five silver dollars for giving former cadets of mine their first salute as commissioned officers in the military.

Eclipse, take a look at the end of "An Officer and a Gentleman" or even the end of "Pressure Point".

The NCO that renders that first salute gets paid!

It's not a local tradition, it's pretty widespread and by most accounts is over a century old!

I am proud to say I have never seen either of these movies all the way through, however here are some videos of real first salutes.
halasowski first salute

Class Team First Salute (Class 18-09)

First Salute

This one is pretty cool:
2nd Lt. Douglas A. McAvoy Jr. USMC gets his first Salute
2nd Lt. Douglas A. McAvoy Jr. gets his first salute from his brother Sgt. Spenser J. McAvoy on August 8, 2009
while standing above the memorial brick of his grandfather Capt. Clyde R. McAvoy at the marine Corps. Museum. Their mother MaryAgnes McAvoy is assisting

[Flying Pig]

Looks like 2nd Lt McAvoys brother is a Force Recon bubba...

[Garibaldi]

This is apparently a local tradition. First I've even heard of it.

Not a bad idea, but not all Mitchell's are presented this way. I've done a number of them at encampments, etc., where there was no first salute, or anything else but a shake and take.

I have five silver dollars for giving former cadets of mine their first salute as commissioned officers in the military.

Eclipse, take a look at the end of "An Officer and a Gentleman" or even the end of "Pressure Point".

The NCO that renders that first salute gets paid!

It's not a local tradition, it's pretty widespread and by most accounts is over a century old!

I thought the former candidates were just turning in their candidate insignia to Foley.

[JC3]

The coin ceremony your thinking of is the tradition of a sliver dollar awarded to the first person to salute a new officer orthe presentation of a challenge coin by a commander to a person below them. Both are military traditions none are officially adopted but challenge coins are widely used in CAP. Not every squadron does this but its a nice nod towards our military heritage.

I just got my Mitchell and took a class on challenge coins,

[abdsp51]

There is the silver dollar tradition and then being "coined".  Coined being the presentation of a challenge coin to an individual for a specific reason. 

[Flying Pig]

When I was in the Marines, we had a unit challenge coin.   If you were at, ummmm cough cough...a bar or a restaurant, etc. If someone thew down their unit coin, the guy who didnt have one paid.  Now..... If everyone had their coins,  the guy who initiated the challenge was the guy who ended up getting screwed.  So issuing a challenge is not without risk.

[PHall]

When I was in the Marines, we had a unit challenge coin.   If you were at, ummmm cough cough...a bar or a restaurant, etc. If someone thew down their unit coin, the guy who didnt have one paid. Now..... If everyone had their coins,  the guy who initiated the challenge was the guy who ended up getting screwed.  So issuing a challenge is not without risk.

As some people have found out the hard way over at Sally's Alley over at March ARB.

[Flying Pig]

When I was in the Marines, we had a unit challenge coin.   If you were at, ummmm cough cough...a bar or a restaurant, etc. If someone thew down their unit coin, the guy who didnt have one paid. Now..... If everyone had their coins,  the guy who initiated the challenge was the guy who ended up getting screwed.  So issuing a challenge is not without risk.

As some people have found out the hard way over at Sally's Alley over at March ARB.

Anyone remember the Vapor Trails Cafe at March Air FORCE Base? Back when I was a youngster it was an AFB.  What a way to grow up man......  On Saturdays, if we wore our Blues, my mom would drop off a me and a friend.  We showed our CAPIDs to the gate guys who were active duty Security Force cops, usually in blues with ribbons, not BDUs.  They would let us walk on.  From there, we went to the Vapor Trails or the Burger King, got lunch and then walked to the 163rd Fighter Sq HQ.  We walked in, checked in with whoever was at the front counter. From their they would let us go out to the flight line where the picnic tables were and eat our lunch where all the pilots smoked and joked and we were probably 50 yards from the F4s with nothing but open space between us and them.  I used to come home completely sunburned.  Ahhhhhh.... thanks a lot Al Queda for botching up that deal!   Thanks to CAP, I will boast that I probably had one of the coolest childhoods ever lived!!!!!

[PHall]

When I was in the Marines, we had a unit challenge coin.   If you were at, ummmm cough cough...a bar or a restaurant, etc. If someone thew down their unit coin, the guy who didnt have one paid. Now..... If everyone had their coins,  the guy who initiated the challenge was the guy who ended up getting screwed.  So issuing a challenge is not without risk.

As some people have found out the hard way over at Sally's Alley over at March ARB.

Anyone remember the Vapor Trails Cafe at March Air FORCE Base? Back when I was a youngster it was an AFB.  What a way to grow up man......  On Saturdays, if we wore our Blues, my mom would drop off a me and a friend.  We showed our CAPIDs to the gate guys who were active duty Security Force cops, usually in blues with ribbons, not BDUs.  They would let us walk on.  From there, we went to the Vapor Trails or the Burger King, got lunch and then walked to the 163rd Fighter Sq HQ.  We walked in, checked in with whoever was at the front counter. From their they would let us go out to the flight line where the picnic tables were and eat our lunch where all the pilots smoked and joked and we were probably 50 yards from the F4s with nothing but open space between us and them.  I used to come home completely sunburned.  Ahhhhhh.... thanks a lot Al Queda for botching up that deal!   Thanks to CAP, I will boast that I probably had one of the coolest childhoods ever lived!!!!!

Rob, there's been so many changes at March that it would probably depress you if you came on base.
It's a whole different place now...

[Private Investigator]

When I was in the Marines, we had a unit challenge coin.   

Really when was that? Because I do not recall that at the Company level in the 1970s. After 9/11 everyone has one now. I was at In 'n Out Burgers the other day and the guy behind me noticed I had a challenge coin when I was counting change. He asked, "what that coin was for?" I answered, "Marines ooh rah!" He replied, "I got mine for NASA." So I figured he was asking for a fruit punch, no pun intended.   

[Shawn W.]

Saw this haqppen once IRL. A former cadet from our Squadron became a Commisioned Officer in the Marine Corps. He had his ceremony at our Squdron and our Color Guard Got to post and present Colors for him as well.. It was a cool Ceremony to see. :-D