Tombstone Coins

COINS LEFT ON TOMBSTONES

While visiting some cemeteries you may notice that headstones marking certain graves have coins on them, left by previous visitors to the grave.

These coins have distinct meanings when left on the headstones of those who gave their life while serving in America's military, and these meanings vary depending on the denomination of coin.

A coin left on a headstone or at the grave site is meant as a message to the deceased soldier's family that someone else has visited the grave to pay respect. Leaving a penny at the grave means simply that you visited.

A nickel indicates that you and the deceased trained at boot camp together, while a dime means you served with him in some capacity. By leaving a quarter at the grave, you are telling the family that you were with the solider when he was killed.

According to tradition, the money left at graves in national cemeteries and state veterans cemeteries is eventually collected, and the funds are put toward maintaining the cemetery or paying burial costs for indigent veterans.

In the US, this practice became common during the Vietnam war, due to the political divide in the country over the war; leaving a coin was seen as a more practical way to communicate that you had visited the grave than contacting the soldier's family, which could devolve into an uncomfortable argument over politics relating to the war.

Some Vietnam veterans would leave coins as a "down payment" to buy their fallen comrades a beer or play a hand of cards when they would finally be reunited.

The tradition of leaving coins on the headstones of military men and women can be traced to as far back as the Roman Empire.

**Article courtesy of My Dad is a Vietnam Vet


“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale

Convoy Driving

by Kurt Knoblock

U.S. Army

June 1968 - December 1970

Anybody that was in the military knew that you were a number and you were always being "volunteered" for anything -- and everything.

One of my job functions was driving convoy runs to base camps throughout the III Corp area. We had comm sites on these camps.

Kurt Knoblock

On one of these runs, we were out in the boonies and the convoy came to a stop because the MP's were mine sweeping the road ahead. Now, when a convoy stops, you become a target for enemy activity.

The other side of things here was that I was positioned in between two semi flat beds carrying artillery rounds. If anything happened, I would be gone.

After about a half hour, the MP's came down the line and informed us that the road was open. Then he made the comment that they could not guarantee that the road was clear of mines. He said they had swept, but there was just too much area to secure, so we were on our own.

The logic of this still baffles me today. There we were, sitting targets, and even when moving, we were still targets. We made it to the destination okay, but there was a lot of white-knuckle driving along the way ...

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Thank you for your post, Kurt!  I'm glad everything turned out okay -- I can't imagine what that did to your nerves!  ~CJ


“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale

One Night In Nam 1968

by Charles Atkinson

I remember one night during TET in 1968. I was on guard duty near the back gate at LONG BIHN.

 At about midnight, one of the guys lit up a joint and I didn't want the odor of the joint to alert the VC. 

Well, I totally lost it. I knocked him down, took my M-14, locked and loaded, and stuck the barrel in his mouth and had the other guard call the Sgt. of the Guard and ask that he come out ASAP.

When he arrived, I had cooled down a little bit. The Sgt. took that guard and replaced him on the spot. 

Nothing ever happened to me because of it, but I don't know about the other guy. This happened sometime in January of 1968, but I don't remember the exact date.

CJ Atkinson
US Army

Thank you for sharing your experience, Charles, and Welcome Home.

~CJ

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale

A Vietnam Memory: Kurt Knoblock

My name is Kurt Knoblock. My tour in Vietnam was from July of 1969 to December of 1970.   I was assigned to the First Signal Brigade.

The first thing that I remember upon landing in Vietnam at Bien Hoa, was the smell.   The smell along with the heat made you sick right away.

I processed into my company and about two weeks later, the First Sgt. informed me that he was assigning me to our signal site at Bien Hoa. Then he made a comment that I have never forgotten.

 

"I hope you like rockets and mortars, because Bien Hoa gets a lot of VC rockets and mortars."

I arrived on site and I had a window where I could look out.  We were hit almost every night for about five months, although there were breaks in this. I lost count of the actual number of times we were hit, but it always happened in the very early morning hours. It is hard to explain to people what this was like.  In the morning you would find shrapnel laying around with Russian and Chinese markings on it.

To this day I do not sleep through the night and any little sound wakes me.

Kurt Knoblock
First Signal Brigade
Bien Hoa, Vietnam
1969/1970

Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Kurt, and Welcome Home.

~CJ

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale

Vietnam 1966/1967

by Charles Atkinson

In 1966/1967, I was stationed with the 67th Evac Hospital in Qui Nhon, South Vietnam. We were waiting for the completion of the new building for us.

One day, a fighter jet made several passes over our air field there. One end of the air field was right at the road in the village. The other end was a road between it and the ocean. All of the GI's were watching overhead.

All of a sudden the jet came in at roof top level. When it landed, we watched as the left tire blew out and that put the hospital right in line to be hit -- and the jet had a napalm bomb.

They dropped the bomb on a pile of sand and we were lucky it did not go off. The pilot managed to pull the jet back on the runway but it still ran through the fence and the front wheel stopped in the water. I was taking pictures the entire time.

After it was all over, three or four MPs tapped me on my shoulder and took the roll of film from my camera. They told me I could have it back when I left Nam. I never did get the film back so I have no record of ever the taking the pictures.

CJ Atkinson

Mechanic, 67th Army Evac Hospital
3 Years, Vietnam
9 Years, Germany
14 Months, Thailand


Thank you for sharing your amazing experience, Charles, and Welcome Home.
~CJ


“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale

Vietnam 1966: J. Koontz

Who could ever forget our first experience in Vietnam?

We landed in Binh Hoa on Christmas Eve, 1966, in pouring rain and very high temperatures.

We had travelled in a C141 Transport from Benning to Vietnam via Alaska and Japan.

Our Christmas Eve was spent getting "setup" in tents and trying to get some sleep.

The following morning at a ridiculous hour, we were wakened for breakfast and a Santa in fatigues with gifts. It was a very unique Christmas Day. My first Christmas away from family at the ripe old age of 20.

Jim Koontz
Sgt. E/3/7, 199th


“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale