Hola Amigos, I know it’s been a while since I rapped at ya, but things have been busy. Before I share more updates from Norway, I want to take a step back in time and share the details of an event that occurred during a layover in the Baltimore Airport while I was making my way to Norway.
I had a 4-1/2 hour layover in Baltimore. I had time to kill and work to do. Fortunately, I travel through that airport a fair amount and knew the exact table in the exact restaurant/bar to set up base camp. It’s a table that’s close to an outlet, close to the bar, and has a good view for people watching—the airport is always a great place for people watching. I set up my computer and external hard drive. I got online and had been working for awhile when I saw this guy who clearly needed to make a phone call. I could tell because he plugged his iPhone into his fairly short charging cord and that was plugged in to an outlet on the wall under a table. The short cord meant that he had to crouch halfway under the table to reach the phone to his ear and used his free hand to cover his other ear in an attempt to block out the crowd noise and loud music.
On a side note: In preparation for the trip, I had recently purchased a groovy device. It is a charger that plugs into the wall and recharges a small battery pack that’s about the size of a pack of gum and plugs into an iPhone. The device carries a full iPhone charge and I can plug it into an iPhone and use it as if it were plugged in. I can use the phone and charge it at the same time.
As soon as I realized this guy was struggling, I went over and caught his attention. I showed him the device I had, explained how it worked, encouraged him to get one if he traveled much, and told him to borrow my fully charged battery so that he could step outside the bar and make his phone calls. He came back after awhile, returned my battery, and said thanks.
Later, as he was leaving to catch his flight, he came over to me to say thanks again. He explained that he was active duty military and had been trying to call his family from the airport. Being able to talk to them was very important to him and he wanted to find a way to express his thanks. So, he gave me his challenge coin, which is a very cool-looking thick coin about the size of a half-dollar. I’ve included pictures of the coin below next to a quarter, so that you can get a sense of scale. He asked if I’d ever heard of a challenge coin before. When I said that I hadn’t he explained (hurriedly, since he was on his way to catch a flight) that people in the military receive these coins and they are all to have them on their person at all times. It’s called a challenge coin because a person can, particularly when out drinking, pullout their coin and issue the challenge. Then, everyone else is compelled to pull out their coin. If someone cannot produce their coin they are on the hook to buy the next round of drinks. If, however, everyone has their coin, then the person issuing the challenge is on the hook for the next round of drinks. He explained that giving someone his or her coin is also a way to show that someone did something important, honorable, and meaningful for you. I was touched and gave him a heartfelt thank you.
After he left, I went online and looked up challenge coins on Wikipedia. There is a cool background and history to these coins that is worth checking out. Here is the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenge_coin.
I then pinged a very good friend of mine in iChat who used to be in the military back in the day. I often refer to this guy as the living embodiment of the imaginary friend I had as a child. Why that is, is for another story. I told him the story. Some of the highlights of his response are as follows:
That is way cool that he gave you one of those man. They are received for a specific combat tour and handed out like you experienced very selectively. That is indeed a big deal for a service member, so you did indeed do something that meant a lot to him. I have chills thinking about it - good man Sir
Veterans can always tell active duty - so I carry a coin with me most of the time just in case
And I have never lost. I saw a dude on a motorcycle the other day. We were stopped next to one another at a light. He was in civilian clothes, but I can always tell. I flashed mine at him and he smiled big.
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