Of the hundreds of challenge coins Chief Matt Tobia has in his collection, one coin, in honor of Retired Marine Corporal Seamus Garrahy, holds special meaning. Corporal Garrahy was a Gettysburg, Pennsylvania businessman who hosted thousands of military members, many of whom were dealing with PTSD, for “steaks and beers.” During National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekends, Honor Guard and Family Escort Division members would visit Corporal Garrahy. “He embodied everything good about a band of brothers who put their lives in each other’s hands,” said Chief Tobia. As part of a fundraiser to restore Corporal Garrahy’s property, 100 challenge coins were created for those who supported the restoration project. Before Corporal Garrahy died in 2012, the US Marine Corps recognized his property as Marine Barracks Gettysburg. In reflecting on one of Chief Tobia’s most treasured coins, he said, “Seamus was a great man. He served others. This coin is a reminder of that.”
Corporal Garrahy was also a collector of challenge coins, with more than 1,000 in his collection, which is fitting for a Marine since the origin of challenge coins is often accredited to the military. There are many versions of the origin of the use and symbolism of challenge coins. Some historians state challenge coins date back to the Roman Empire when they were used to recognize valor and bravery on the battlefield. During World War I, American pilots carried challenge coins as forms of identification in case they were shot down behind enemy lines. Some people believe the fire service adopted challenge coins because many soldiers became firefighters after World War I and World War II.
Regardless of the origin of challenge coins in the fire service, one thing is for certain: as NFFF Advocate Lisa Burton said, “Each one has a story.” NFFF Advocate Chris Koretski has more than 300 coins, and one of his most special coins is from Dave Goldsmith from the Highview (KY) Fire Department, whom he met at Memorial Weekend several years ago. Unfortunately, due to the death of one of his firefighters from a long-term job-related illness, Dave was unable to attend Memorial Weekend one year. The next time they saw each other, Dave gave Chris a challenge coin – one side of the coin had Highview’s Honor Guard logo, and the other side was a flag presentation image. The flag presentation image is of the honor guard commander handing the casket flag to Dave’s hands before he presented the flag to the family of that fallen firefighter.
Many Fire Hero Family members have challenge coins to honor their loved ones. But perhaps no Fire Hero Family member has more coins than Nevin Steffy. He has more than 1,240 coins in his collection, including some given to him by Cathy Hedrick, mother of fallen firefighter Kenny Hedrick and a treasured former NFFF staff person. Nevin displays his collection in 12 cases in his living room and has photographed and organized each in albums on his Facebook page. He always carries only one coin in his pocket, though – the coin honoring his father, who died in the line of duty in November of 2011.
Chairman of the NFFF Golf Program Karl Ristow has about 200 coins and began collecting them in Germany in the mid-1980s. While in the military, you earned coins by being recognized for exceptional work by your seniors. The goal was to have the most senior ranking coin when you went to a bar. “Just when I thought I had a high-ranking coin, someone would have a flag officer’s coin or even a Presidential coin,” Karl recalled. Later in his career while at the National Fire Academy, he was reintroduced to challenge coins in the fire service and the tradition of if you are not carrying a coin, you had to pay for a drink if challenged. He then created a coin for the St. John Fire District (SC), where he served as chief. In his final years at the Center for Professional Service Excellence, he created a personal challenge coin to say thank you to his team leaders. “The coin represents my final rank in the fire service and the three places I served during my 43 years of service,” Karl noted. To date, he has handed out more than 180 coins to fire service members across the world to recognize commitment and excellence.
Now it’s your turn. Do you have a challenge coin with a unique story behind it?
Share your story and a picture of the challenge coin
Retired FDNY Lieutenant Steve Mormino proudly displays his coins, noting, “Every one of my challenge coins has a special meaning or memory for me.” One of the coins that stands out for him is his FDNY Incident Management Team coin. He was training to be a public information officer and worked at a wildland fire in Oregon for two weeks as an incident command staff member – not the normal assignment for an FDNY firefighter. Shortly after his training, Steve had to retire due to 9/11 health-related issues. “Each coin in my collection is cherished, and I would never think of trading any of them.”
