Why are there coins on Veteran's graves?

With Veterans Day approaching, many will visit the graves of loved ones and friends who have passed. When you do, you may come across the grave markers of Veteran with coins on it.  Do you have any idea why they are there?  I would like to share the meaning of placing a coin on the grave marker of a soldier that has made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty or a veteran who has passed.

The tradition of leaving coins on the headstones of military men and women can be traced to as far back as the Roman Empire. In the United States, the practice became popular during the Vietnam War.  It was a way for friends and comrades to visit a fallen friend and leave a coin as a marker to the family that they had been there to pay respect, without having to contact the family directly.

A coin left on a tombstone 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. As for meanings of different denominations of coins.  A friend, or an acquaintance that visits may only leave a penny.  A nickel would be left by someone that may have been through boot camp, or trained with them, while someone that served in another platoon in the same company may leave a dime.  A quarter would be left by someone that served in the same outfit, or was with the soldier when they died.

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

This is a tradition that has been held onto by members of the United States Military.  The money left at graves in national cemeteries and state veterans cemeteries is left in place for a time, but is eventually collected, and the funds are put toward maintaining the cemetery or paying burial costs for indigent veterans.

Whether you leave a coin or not, the important thing is that you have visited and paid your respects to someone who has served our country.

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