Those who served Those who serve
The Mission
Endures.
Service stays with us.
Foresite veterans share what they learned in uniform and how those lessons shape the work they do today.
Our commemorative coin is available to Foresite customers and partners who have served or are still serving, while supplies last.
Read the series
Their stories, in their own words.
Foresite veterans share what service taught them and how those lessons shape their work today.
Coming soon
Foresite CybersecurityThe Mission Endures kickoffHonoring those who served and servePublishing this November
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Brian PepperdineU.S. Marine Corps VeteranKeeping the picture clearPublishing this November
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Jason MurrayU.S. Army VeteranWartime delegation for the agentic agePublishing this November
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David GrableU.S. Marine Corps VeteranEveryone knows the missionPublishing this November
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Kari GloverU.S. Navy VeteranWhat the Navy and STEM taught me about innovationPublishing this November
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Scott AndersonU.S. Army VeteranResilience under pressure, from the infantry to the SOCPublishing this November
Lessons in Execution · 2025Scott AndersonU.S. Army VeteranAdaptability is the SOAR PrincipleRead the post 
Lessons in Execution · 2025
Richard MoormannU.S. Navy VeteranAlignment in the Asymmetric EnvironmentRead the post 
Lessons in Execution · 2025Brian PepperdineU.S. Marine Corps VeteranThe Discipline of Operational CertaintyRead the post 
Lessons in Execution · 2025
Tim SuwandhaputraU.S. Army ReserveUnity of EffortRead the post 
Lessons in Execution · 2025Foresite CybersecurityForesiteBuilt to Serve: Honoring Those Who Have — and Continue to — ServeRead the post
Programs we support
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No-cost Google Cloud training and certification for U.S. and Canadian veterans and service members.
Register for Launchpad -
Foresite is a member. We look for people with Google Cloud certifications, including veterans who complete programs like Launchpad.
About the program
Free cybersecurity training for veterans
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Google’s Cybersecurity Certificate is free for student veterans through a Google grant to Student Veterans of America. It covers the foundations for the CompTIA Security+ exam.
Learn more at SVA -
VetsinTech offers free cohorts for veterans, military spouses and service members, including the Guard and Reserve.
Visit VetsinTech -
Free cybersecurity and IT certification prep from Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Exam fees are covered for transitioning service members, unemployed veterans and military spouses.
Visit Onward to Opportunity -
Intensive cybersecurity training and GIAC certification from SANS. Service members within six months of separation can apply.
Visit SANS Cyber Academy
Read the coin
The details behind the design.
Select a marker to explore the design.
More than a coin
A tradition built on shared experience.
If you’ve spent time around Foresite, you probably know . We give them to people who have been part of our story.
This edition features all six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. It honors the people who have served in them and those who still do.
A challenge coin is a small thing to carry, but it says something big: we were in it together. To the customers and partners who’ve served, this one is for you.
Tim SuwandhaputraVP, Go-To-Market, Foresite · U.S. Army ReserveWhere the tradition comes from
A short history of the challenge coin.
The history and stories behind the tradition.
c. 650 BC
The first coins
The earliest known coins were struck in Lydia, in what is now western Turkey, from electrum, a natural blend of gold and silver. Many carry a roaring lion’s head. Excavators found dozens beneath the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, left as offerings more than 2,600 years ago.
Antiquity
Paid in coin for valor
Roman soldiers were paid in coin, and a popular story says commanders struck special coins to reward bravery. It’s a good story, but no record confirms it, so it stays a legend.
World War I
The squadron medallion
The story told in barracks everywhere: a lieutenant had bronze medallions struck for his flying squadron. One pilot, downed and captured, escaped and proved he was American with the medallion he carried. No record confirms it, but it remains the best-loved origin story.
After World War II
The pfennig check
According to one account, troops in occupied Germany challenged each other at the bar to produce a pfennig, the smallest coin in circulation. Anyone without one bought the round. It’s one of several accounts of where the coin check began.
Korean War
The Buffalo coin
Col. William “Buffalo Bill” Quinn had coins struck for his 17th Infantry Regiment, with a buffalo on one side and the regiment’s crest on the other. Surviving examples are among the earliest unit coins collectors can point to.
1969
The modern practice begins
Col. Vernon E. Greene had a unit coin minted for the 10th Special Forces Group during the Vietnam War era. It’s one of the best-documented early unit coins, and military historians often date the modern tradition to it.
The coin check
A reason to carry it
Someone calls “coin check,” and everyone reaches for their pocket. In a common version of the tradition, anyone caught without their coin buys the next round. If everyone produces one, the challenger pays. Customs vary by unit, but the ritual gives people a reason to keep their coin close.
Today
Passed in a handshake
Leaders present coins palm to palm, in a handshake, to recognize the people who earned them. Units, agencies and companies now strike their own, Foresite among them.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia: The earliest coins from Lydia (British Museum collection)
- Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst: Flip of a coin, a look into challenge coin history
- Marines.mil: Challenge coins… where’s yours?
- Wikipedia: 17th Infantry Regiment (United States)
- Goodfellow Air Force Base: A small token of appreciation
- Images: Classical Numismatic Group (CC BY-SA 3.0); Graearms (CC0); U.S. Air Force; Deutsche Bundesbank; U.S. Army (Spc. Andrew Ingram); public-domain photo of U.S. soldiers in Korea, all via Wikimedia Commons.
With our thanks
A coin with our thanks.
If you’re a Foresite customer or partner who has served or is still serving, let us know.
- 1Tell us about your serviceFill out the form below.
- 2We confirm availabilityOur team will confirm availability by email and ask for your shipping address.
- 3Your coin is on its wayWe ship it to the address you give us.
Thank you.
Your request is in. We’ll email you to confirm availability and ask where to send your coin.
Thank you for your service.
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Voices from the series
What service taught us.
“It’s about being relied on by the people beside you and the people you serve.”
Brian PepperdineVP, Customer EngineeringU.S. Marine Corps Veteran
“No one operates alone, whether you’re managing a flight crew or defending a network.”
Mark GloverSOAR EngineerU.S. Air Force
“If I’m calm, the team is calm, and calm people make better decisions.”
David GrableVP of Security OperationsU.S. Marine Corps Veteran
“When you can adjust to any situation or challenge, it creates space for growth and helps you succeed in whatever mission lies ahead.”
Scott AndersonSOAR EngineerU.S. Army Veteran
“Nearly twenty years later, my daily uniform looks entirely different, but the fundamental operational environment feels strikingly familiar.”
Jason MurraySecurity Engineer IIU.S. Army Veteran
“Knowing that words have weight, it’s important to choose them carefully.”
William KlineVulnerability Scan EngineerU.S. Army National Guard Veteran
“Service taught me that the mission is bigger than any one of us. Today, much of my work is bringing people and organizations together around a shared purpose. Cybersecurity feels like a natural continuation of service because our responsibility to protect others extends beyond the company we work for.”
Tim SuwandhaputraVP, Go-To-MarketU.S. Army Reserve