Berry

(Continued from page 12)

together, ate and slept
together, and went on liberty together," Berry said,
"and we always had each
other's back no matter
what."
Berry served aboard a
total of eight ships and
four shore stations while
in the Navy. His favorite ship was his last, The
USS Boone FFG-28 (Fast
Frigate Guided).
"She was brand new,
had a good skipper, could
hit 30 knots and smelled
like a new car," Berry
said.
Some of Berry's
most treasured military mementos are his
Challenge Coins. These
are struck for different
units or branches of the
service and can be given
as a keepsake from your
departing command or
purchased. Some law
enforcement and fire
departments also have
them. Although the exact
history of the Challenge
Coin is unknown, the
below version is the most
common.
History of the Challenge Coin

During World War

I, American volunteers
from all parts of the
country filled the newly
formed flying squadrons.
Some were wealthy scions
attending colleges such
as Yale and Harvard who
quit in mid-term to join

the war. In one squadron, a wealthy lieutenant

had medallions struck
in solid bronze and presented them to his unit.
One young pilot placed
the medallion in a small
leather pouch that he
wore about his neck.
Shortly after getting
the medallion, when this
pilot's aircraft was damaged by ground fire, he
landed behind enemy
lines and was captured
by the Germans. The
Germans took all his
personal identification
except for the pouch.
When he managed to
escape, the pilot crossed
into no-man's land. The
French there did not
recognize his American
accent and thought
he was a saboteur and
planned to execute him.
Having no identification
to prove his allegiance,
he showed his captors
his medallion and they
recognized the squadron
insignia. They delayed his
execution long enough
for him to confirm his
identity and instead of
shooting him gave him a
bottle of wine.
Back with his squadron,
it became tradition for all
members to carry their
medallion or coin at all
times. This led to a challenge in which one member asked to see another's
medallion a "Coin
(SEE: Berry, page 14)

Winfield (Kan.) Daily Courier, Tues., Nov. 10, 2014

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