00368 1199_POW/MIA Geocoin Silver / Gold LE

There is currently no goal for this item.

Large coin with lots of heft. 1.75 inches 3.5 mm thick silver on the front and gold on the back. 200 coins minted.  Available in other metal colors. No review is needed on this coin. It speaks for itself. 2006. Excellent.

A personal comment from having friends and family who fought in several wars....after the US has spent soooo much time and money trying to locate and bring my loved ones home from their resting places of so long.  We (the US) constantly ask, beg the family of the fallen from the "other side" to help us,,,,,,....how much time do we spend helping to find their MIA  children, parents, friends?  How many bracelets worn?   

The idea for this geocoin came from the young cacher verno6000 from the Chicago area, who registered with Groundspeak in December 2004, but has been looking for caches very rarely since 2011.

From September 2005, he became interested in geocoins and bought them through the geocaching forum.
On March 30, 2006, verno6000 announced in the geocaching forum the appearance of a POW-MIA coin, which should be ready for shipment in mid-April.

The 44 x 3.5 mm geocoin was produced by CoinsAndPins in an edition of 1000 pieces in the two editions Silver RE800 and two-tone Silver/Gold LE200 and sold by HogwildStuff.

The profit from the original sale of this coin was to be donated to the VFW Foundation and the POW Network.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Foundation is the official charity of the United States' war veterans deployed abroad. Through strategic relationships with corporations, private foundations, and individual supporters, the VFW Foundation helps fill gaps in government support for U.S. soldiers, veterans, and military families.

The obverse of the geocoin features the black-and-white POW/MIA flag designed by Newton Heisley, a former World War II fighter pilot, which contains the abbreviations POW as an English abbreviation for "prisoners of war" and MIA for "missing in action". The flag features the silhouette of a lowered head against the background of barbed wire and a watchtower. In addition to the lettering "POW * MIA", it contains the sentence "You are not forgotten". 

Originally designed to commemorate the missing U.S. soldiers of the Vietnam War, the flag now commemorates all Americans missing in wars since World War II, a total of more than 88,000 people.

The design of the reverse with the flying bald eagle as the only colored element is reminiscent of the "American Eagle Flag - All Gave Some Some Gave All". The phrase "All gave something, some gave everything" is attributed to Korean War veteran Howard William Osterkamp from Ohio.The words "Lost But Not Forgotten" above the eagle also remind us of the missing who are not forgotten. Below the flying eagle is the prompt MOVING FROM CACHE TO CACHE KEEPS THE MEMORY ALIVE.

So many of my trackables have been muggled that I only release GCs as virtuals. If you do not approve, please leave it in the cache for a cacher who understands. Thanks. GL