The challenge coin of Brig. Gen. Lawrence Muennich, the Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard. Photo from Indiana National Guard.

By Whitney Downard
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — In just a few weeks, one Hoosier member of law enforcement will get a rare recognition: one of the Department of Child Services’ challenge coins honoring “a heroic act that protected a Hoosier child.”

The Department of Child Services challenge coin. Photo from DCS.

This year’s 445-coin order cost the department $1,495.20, according to an invoice shared by the agency. By ordering in bulk, the per-coin price dropped from $4.80 to $3.36 and included no upgraded edges or thickness — though both sides are the characteristic Indiana blue and gold.

Not all agencies or elected officeholders have the emblems. Gov. Mike Braun and Attorney General Todd Rokita don’t have one — but both Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Secretary of State Diego Morales do.

While the Indiana House of Representatives doesn’t have a coin, the Senate allows members to purchase the coins from their own funds, according to Sen. Travis Holdman, the Republican Majority Caucus Chair.

Holdman guessed that nearly everyone in the 40-member caucus had purchased one.

What Are Challenge Coins?

The challenge coin for the Indiana Senate. Photo from Senate Republican Caucus.

Challenge coins are traditionally small medallions with a special design used to commemorate a special team or event. Oftentimes, these coins are used in the military and, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, have been used for a century in America “to instill unit pride, improve esprit de corps and reward hard work and excellence.”

A popular story posits that a wealthy lieutenant in World War I gave each of his unit members a bronze medallion as a memento.

The legend goes on to say that the WWI lieutenant was once trapped behind enemy lines and found refuge with French allies — who recognized him because of his challenge coin and granted him safe passage.

Holdman shared his son received a challenge coin upon graduating from officer school in the Air Force.

Secretary of Public Safety Jennifer-Ruth Green is looking into ordering her own coins, an office spokesperson confirmed. The combat veteran has a long military career with the Air Force and will grant coins to those who go “above and beyond” to keep Hoosiers safe.

The proposed design for a challenge coin for Secretary of Public Safety Jennifer-Ruth Green. Photo from DHS.

Green oversees the Department of Homeland Security as part of her duties. The department shared details about two other recently purchased challenge coins: the Cobalt Magnet Challenge Coin and the CERT Challenge Coin.

The former recognizes those who participated in the Cobalt Magnet Radiological and Nuclear Multistate Exercise in March. One hundred coins were purchased at a cost of $470.80 in January, as detailed in an invoice shared by the agency.

The National CERT Conference for emergency managers, instructors and more will be held in Plainfield this fall and have its own coin. DHS purchased 500 of those for $2,350.08 in May — though grant funding covered the cost.

The Indiana State Police doesn’t have one as an agency but the office told the Indiana Capital Chronicle that several sections, with permission, have designed and ordered challenge coins for themselves and purchased them as a group.

Additionally, their dedicated museum offers challenge coins for purchase.

Brig. Gen. Lawrence Muennich, the state’s adjutant general, has amassed several such coins over the decades. Photo from Lawrence Muennich.

In a military setting, challenge coins can even be a way to establish an alliance between countries, as shown in the collection of Brig. Gen. Lawrence Muennich, the Adjutant General of Indiana’s National Guard.

An in-house graphic designer for ING designed Muennich’s coins, which feature a state cutout along with the signature of the state’s 60th adjutant general. The 500-coin purchase of $2,092 was paid for by funds from the State Armory Board — which has its own public administrative board and earns funds from renting out the state’s various armories.

But the practice has spread beyond its military roots. It’s unclear when individually elected offices and agencies not affiliated with the military or law enforcement picked it up in Indiana. An cBay seller specializing in challenge coins offers one from a former Indiana State Secretary of Commerce and another from 2023 Indiana National Guard mission.

Holdman said he would “never” approve to purchase the coins as a state expense for senators and said he wasn’t previously aware that some state agencies had their own emblems.

So Who Else Has One?

Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s challenge coin. Photo from Lieutenant Governor’s Office.

The Office of Lieutenant Governor first told the Indiana Capital Chronicle it had no comment on its challenge coins — until it learned the ICC had already confirmed their existence in an unrelated public records request.

According to the March emails, chief legal counsel Devin Norrick — an attorney with close legal ties to Beckwith’s church — sought legal guidance on whether the lieutenant governor’s challenge coin could feature a cross or bible verse.

A photo from the office shows that one side includes the Indiana state flag while the other features the state seal — a buffalo jumping over a log in a meadow. That side also includes the words “Faith, Family, Freedom” with Matthew 6:33, a short verse directing followers to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Secretary of State Diego Morales’ challenge coin. Photo from Secretary of State’s Office.