Challenge Coin Giveaway

mrpaseo · January 29, 2009 7:42AM

Hello everyone, as you all know I just returned from the sand box. I decided to do a welcome back giveaway and figured the Challenge Coin that I received in the welcome home ceremony would be a great giveaway (At least I hope it is).

First here are a few pictures of my company:

This is my company on the Ziggurat of Ur.

These are the leaders of my company. Obviously one is in our tactical gear the other is without.

This is a collage of pictures of me. (Good looking fellow huh?)

And now for the Challenge Coin.

This is the obverse and reverse.

Obverse close up

Reverse close up.

Here is one for size comparison.

This Challenge Coin was given to each Soldier in the redeployment ceremony for a job well done during the 15 month deployment. They were issued by the Command Sergeants Major, CSM Harmon. The obverse depicts "Wyld Stallions" and "No Slack" are mottos of the Battalion, the flags of The United States of America and Iraq are obvious, the other symbol is our unit crest.

The reverse depicts a man with a horse head (Not sure what the meaning is behind this) that the CSM chose to represent our battalion. The yellow and blue shield is our unit patch; the lower right is our war time crest. The other two symbols are the rank of our Battalion Commander (Lieutenant Colonel) and our Command Sergeants Major.

The cut out is the shape of Iraq. Not sure what the swords represent but I am sure they have to do with being deployed to "war".

Alright, by now you should all be excited with anticipation... you are right? I know what your thinking, you’re probably thinking, "What do I have to do to win this giveaway". Good question!

Well here it is:

1. Post here.

2. Return to see if you won.

The drawing will be held Sunday 1 FEB 09 at about 1700 hrs my time.

Good luck to all,
Ray

PS. When I return to this unit at the end of February I plan on sitting down with the Command Sergeants Major and getting the low down on what each part of this Challenge Coin means.

rgCoinGuy · January 29, 2009 7:52AM

Very Cool giveaway, thanks for the chance.

Great pics - what did that building use to be?

mrpaseo · January 29, 2009 8:03AM

<< Very Cool giveaway, thanks for the chance.

Great pics - what did that building use to be? >>

Actually it's not a building, it's just a big pile of bricks that used to hold a temple on top. See here for more info.

Great Ziggurat of Ur

Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu

Wiki

Wiki 2

Here is what it used to look like:

halfnut · January 29, 2009 8:05AM

Hi Ray. Welcome home and thanks so much for keeping us free and safe. My Son is in Bagdad with Seal Team 4 and should be home in March.

Thanks for a chanceIt would have a good home with my other's

Dan

smet · January 29, 2009 8:15AM

Nice pile-o-bricks pics

Thanks for the chance.

EvilEmpire · January 29, 2009 8:15AM

Welcome home, and THANK YOU (not so much for the giveaway, but thanks for that too!)!!!!

MidLifeCrisis · January 29, 2009 8:25AM

I really think you should keep your challenge coin. It's tied to a happy, well-earned memory of you coming home safely from your deployment. I think you will eventually regret giving it away.

tmot99 · January 29, 2009 8:27AM

Very cool. Welcome home.

mrpaseo · January 29, 2009 8:51AM

<< I really think you should keep your challenge coin. It's tied to a happy, well-earned memory of you coming home safely from your deployment. I think you will eventually regret giving it away. >>

I really do appriciate your concern, the great collectors of this forum have taken care of me through three deployments so i do not mind giving back to their kindness. I did receive a few other coins while on this deployment (I will post pics you anyone wants to see them) so to part with this one is not a major issue to me. I do have plenty of Challenge Coins that I have earned over the past 16.5 years.

Again, thank you for your concern,
Ray

MORGANHUNTER2 · January 29, 2009 8:51AM

Excellent story Ray.

I'm in this bad boy of a giveaway.

mrpaseo · January 29, 2009 8:56AM

PS. The intentions of this giveaway is to give something that means something to me. During every deployment I carry an American Flag with me, the past two deployments I gave away the flag that I carried, maybe in the near future I will give this deployments flag away as well.

My last deployment flag went to Mike Dixon's son Victor when we met in Baltimore.

Again, thank you for your concern,
Ray

mrpaseo · January 29, 2009 9:01AM

BTWis you are interested in seeing some information about my last deployment here is a web site: 142D CSSB

I am in many of the news letters.

Ray

VirtualWon · January 29, 2009 9:15AM

Thanks for the chance........WELCOME BACK............THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!!!!

Swampboy · January 29, 2009 9:33AM

Thanks for the chance Ray.

Glad you didn't shoot this one.

woodardcoin · January 29, 2009 11:10AM

Thanks for the chance ,but most of all thank YOU . For all that you have done for our freedom. And please if you are sent back for all the sun and sand you can stand drop me an address so I can personally ship some lil care packages your way .

JP

NHC · January 29, 2009 11:35AM

Welcome back. Count me in please

millennium · January 29, 2009 12:06PM

Welcome home!...Thanks for the give away, and thanks for a job well done. I salute you.

PaleElf · January 29, 2009 1:07PM

Very cool challenge coin.

illini420 · January 29, 2009 1:13PM

Thanks for the chance. I'm in!!

And thank you for your service, greatly appreciated!!

MillerJW · January 29, 2009 2:37PM

Welcome home, ive never done 15 months but my best friend is over there right now. Thanks for doing the horrible ground work.

SpaceMonkey · January 29, 2009 2:56PM

cool stuff....

and the coin too.

thanks for the giveaway and, of course, your service to OUR US of A.

-sm

cars · January 29, 2009 3:36PM

Wow. I second what everyone else said. Very cool looking coin. I would like to see the others as well. Also enjoyed the pics and links :-)

morgandollar1878 · January 29, 2009 5:06PM

I'm in. That is a great looking challenge coin.

Thank you very much for your dedication to our great country.

CoinHusker · January 29, 2009 9:28PM

Thanks for the chance and please put my name in the kufi.

Thanks for your service!

jnd1955 · January 29, 2009 10:16PM

thank you for your service, i would keep your coin, but it is a give away so please put my name in the hat

john

dorkbar · January 29, 2009 10:56PM

Thanks for the great opportunity.

mrfred · January 29, 2009 11:55PM

Ray, I'm getting back into coin collecting after an absence. It is great to hear from you. Welcome home, and thank you for your service and sure: count me in!

Billet7 · January 30, 2009 2:52AM

I like cool giveways, count me in.

FloridaBill · January 30, 2009 2:54AM

Hi Ray,

Please enter me in your giveaway. Thanks.

FloridaBill

unknowncomic · January 30, 2009 4:38AM

I would be honored to have that in my possesion.
Please enter me . Thanks and welcome home .
Job well done.

robkool · January 30, 2009 9:01AM

Kool... Great pics too...
& thanks... Hope you guys come home soon...

Musky1011 · January 30, 2009 9:25AM

Thnx for your service to this wonderful country of ours

thnx for the giveaway

dizzlecc · January 30, 2009 9:31AM

Very cool give away. Thanks for your service and contribution to the boards.

blueifalcon · January 30, 2009 8:23PM

Thanks for serving and defending our interests.

marym · January 30, 2009 11:33PM

Ray, I echo the sentiments of others who have thanked you for your service to these great United States! I'm old enough to be your mother, and having said that, I think you should be giving this hard earned to coin to family member, not offering it up to a bunch of strangers!

Mary

laserart · January 30, 2009 11:34PM

That looks like a wonderful group of brothers Ray, it will be difficult to keep in touch with all of them once you are done serving.

bigtime36 · January 30, 2009 11:43PM

very cool , please enter me in

Jim

mach19 · January 31, 2009 3:53AM

Welcome home Ray, Enjoy the game Sunday & take some time for yourself. Most of all thank you for your service.

Green eggs & a gallon of milk

Blacksheep · January 31, 2009 6:39AM

Welcome home,Soldier!Been waiting a long time to know you were back safe.
Saw your post and wanted to ask you to put my name in the hat.Excellent idea.Thanks for offering the coin.

mrpaseo · January 31, 2009 9:29AM

<< That looks like a wonderful group of brothers Ray, it will be difficult to keep in touch with all of them once you are done serving. >>

Actually it's easier than you might think. There is a site called, "Together we served" that was developed to keep in touch with brothers of the past. If any of you are prior service and would like to sign up, please let me send you a link. You could sign up without the link but for every five Soldiers/past Soldiers I get to sign up I get six months of full access. If you want a link, send me a PM with your e-mail address and I will send you an e-mail from the site.

Thanks,
Ray

mrpaseo · January 31, 2009 9:56AM

<< Ray, I echo the sentiments of others who have thanked you for your service to these great United States! I'm old enough to be your mother, and having said that, I think you should be giving this hard earned to coin to family member, not offering it up to a bunch of strangers!

Mary >>

Mary, when you have been through what I have been through you quickly learn how insignificant materialistic items are. The fact that I am alive is reward enough for me, and frankly there is much that I would rather forget about these past three deployments. There are many folks on these forums that have known me since the beginning, many that have supported me and many that offered me words of encouragement. This is a small token of appriciation to those that have supported me through the years.

Here is what I will be giving to my parents in the next few weeks:

They don't know that this was approved, the last they heard the write up was submitted but they do not know if it was approved.
Ray

Blacksheep · January 31, 2009 1:08PM

Ray,...send me that link for "together we served".
You know where to find me.

thezookrew · January 31, 2009 1:16PM

Spent almost seven years with the US Army and glad to see you home. Please count me in your giveaway!

Perry

johngerman · January 31, 2009 10:02PM

Welcome home Ray and thank you for your service and honor to your country and our freedom. I would ask the same as other here have asked, if you are re-deployed again, please post an address where we can send care packages to your unit and if your family back home needs anything as well.
Thanks for the chance as well.

John German

Land of the Free, Because of the Brave.

mrpaseo · February 1, 2009 3:34AM

<< Ray,...send me that link for "together we served".
You know where to find me. >>

I forgot to add, there is a site much the same as "Together we served" for each branch, I can send a link for each branch if you served in one of the other branches.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention Blacksheep.

Ray

MidLifeCrisis · February 1, 2009 5:11AM

<< Here is what I will be giving to my parents in the next few weeks:

>>

Congratulations. Well deserved, I'm sure.

Blacksheep · February 1, 2009 6:43AM

10-4 Ray.I'm in and looking around.Thank you,Bud for bringing it to our attention.

mojoman · February 1, 2009 6:50AM

AWESOME GIVEAWAY

THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE AND COURAGE and MAY GOD WATCH OVER YOU AND THE REST OF OUR TROOPS
Please add my Grandson Tylers name in your giveaway . FOR THANKS FOR THE CHANCE >MOJO

Brie13 · February 1, 2009 7:06AM

Thanks for a great giveaway. Welcome home!!!

Gaby

mrpaseo · February 1, 2009 11:21AM

It's time to figure out who will win the Challenge Coin Giveaway. Here are the participants:

*rgCoinGuy

*halfnut

*smet

*EvilEmpire

*MidLifeCrisis

*tmot99

*MORGANHUNTER2

*VirtualWon

*Swampboy

*woodardcoin

*NHC

*millennium

*PaleElf

*illini420

*MillerJW

*SpaceMonkey

*cars

*morgandollar1878

*CoinHusker

*jnd1955

*dorkbar

*mrfred

*Billet7

*FloridaBill

*unknowncomic

*robkool

*Musky1011

*dizzlecc

*blueifalcon

*marym

*laserart

*bigtime36

*mach19

*Blacksheep

*thezookrew

*johngerman

*mojoman

*Brie13

The wifey and I have decided to do this drawing backwards. As we pick a name out of the hat, you will be removed from the drawing, the last name in the hat will win the challenge coin.

Without further adue, the first loser will be...

mrpaseo · February 1, 2009 11:23AM

*MORGANHUNTER2, sorry, you are the first loser.

Thank you for playing,
Ray

Remaining in the drawing:

*rgCoinGuy

*halfnut

*smet

*EvilEmpire

*MidLifeCrisis

*tmot99

*VirtualWon

*Swampboy

*woodardcoin

*NHC

*millennium

*PaleElf

*illini420

*MillerJW

*SpaceMonkey

*cars

*morgandollar1878

*CoinHusker

*jnd1955

*dorkbar

*mrfred

*Billet7

*FloridaBill

*unknowncomic

*robkool

*Musky1011

*dizzlecc

*blueifalcon

*marym

*laserart

*bigtime36

*mach19

*Blacksheep

*thezookrew

*johngerman

*mojoman

*Brie13

Challenge Coin Giveaway

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