Task Force ODIN: The Sequel…

So it happened that my Task Force Odin saga had a nice and unexpected sequel. I was talking about creation of the both coins in detail in Part 1 and Part 2. Just to recoup, in early February of 2012, I was contacted by Maj. Brian “Blue” Simms, member of Task Force ODIN (name is an acronym for Observe, Detect, Identify, and Neutralize). It is a United States Army aviation battalion created in August 2006 to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) operations to combat insurgent operators of improvised explosive devices in Iraq. At the time, the battalion command decided to create two challenge coins for the unit. A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion (usually military), bearing an organization’s insignia or emblem and carried by the organization’s members. They are given to prove membership when challenged and to enhance morale. Such coins can also be awarded for excellence. In addition, they are also collected by service members. Being a big fan of my work, Brian wanted to see if I could help with the design. If you are interested in how it all went down, you might want to check back my earlier articles. Today I have received a package from Afghanistan, containing the two very coins in a flesh, as well as a nice certificate of appreciation from the TF Odin Command. And of course I couldn’t resist the opportunity to showcase all of the above on this blog, as well as to thank my friends at TF Odin for this wonderful token of appreciation.

 Just to remind, here is the final draft of the first coin:

And here is the coin itself:

Here is the final draft of the second coin:

And the actual coin:

The images don’t really do a full justice to the actual pieces. When you have them in your hands, they feel and look outstanding…

And last, but not least -- the awesome certificate of appreciation I was talking about…

Cool stuff. Thanks guys! Stay frosty and come home safely…

Task Force ODIN: Commander’s Coin of Excellence

In the beginning of June 2012, I was once again contacted by my friends from US Army Military Intelligence Task Force ODIN, currently deployed to Afghanistan in support of operation Enduring Freedom.  Just to remind, name is an acronym for Observe, Detect, Identify, and Neutralize. Initially, it was a United States Army aviation battalion created in August 2006 to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) operations to combat insurgent operators of improvised explosive devices in Iraq.


The unit was formed at Fort Hood, Texas, and first deployed in October 2006. At the time, TF ODIN was the Army's only unit, which flew MQ-1C Warrior UAVs. Since then, TF Odin has substantially increased in size. Apparently, this new TF Odin [Enhanced] found themselves in need for a new challenge coin. This time it was supposed to be a Commander’s Coin of Excellence. And since they liked the first coin I helped to create, they got back to me with the task of designing the second one, which I gladly accepted.  The thing is, even though it is fairly time-consuming and rigorous task, I love working on those coins. I have to admit, they are a lot of fun to work with…
Just to recap - a challenge coin is a small coin or medallion (usually military), bearing an organization’s insignia or emblem and carried by the organization’s members. They are given to prove membership when challenged and to enhance morale. Such coins can also be awarded for excellence. In addition, they are also collected by service members.

This time, the guys knew exactly what they wanted, and I was presented with the full-blown concept. It was based on the original TF Odin emblem on the front and several units’ insignia along with Afghan coat of arms on the back.

However, one obvious problem has presented itself almost immediately.  The back of the coin was not an issue, since it was very similar to the one I designed for them earlier. But the front… This was a full-scale disaster. The original TF Odin emblem resembled a very dark watercolor painting, pretty much a black-greyish blob of Odin on a horseback, accompanied by a pack of wolves, with menacing red-glowing eyes. Not that anything was particularly wrong with it. It’s just that it was almost impossible to implement by using my M-LETT 3D method. The solution was although unfortunate, yet pretty obvious – to completely re-design the entire front of the coin, while staying true to the original concept. The good thing about it was the fact that I was able to give Odin the same appearance as I gave the one from my first coin, hence achieve certain continuity and consistency in the series.  This was a true labor of love, with a few minor back-and -force revisions, but overall my design was accepted pretty much instantly, and here is the final result…

Task Force ODIN (306th MI Bn): Challenge Coin

In early February of 2012, I was contacted by Maj. Brian “Blue” Simms, member of Task Force ODIN (name is an acronym for Observe, Detect, Identify, and Neutralize). It is a United States Army aviation battalion created in August 2006 to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) operations to combat insurgent operators of improvised explosive devices in Iraq.


The unit was formed at Fort Hood, Texas, and first deployed in October 2006. An Army article says the unit is meant to meet "the critical requirement to 'win back the roads' using Army Aviation assets to maintain a persistent stare over demonstrated at-risk areas for IEDs." Army leaders said they created the unit because the United States Air Force provided inadequate or inaccurate close air support. ODIN is the Army's only unit that flies the MQ-1C Warrior unmanned aerial vehicle. Built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the extended-range multi-purpose hybrid UAV has an advanced sensor package incorporating electro-optical sensors, including FLIR, and synthetic aperture radar together with a laser rangefinder and a laser designator, the latter for "painting" targets for strikes with Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs.  By September 2007, the Warrior-Alpha had flown more than 6,000 hours and had contributed to the killing of 3,000 insurgents in Iraq. The Task Force trains operators for active, reserve, and Army National Guard. These analysts work with every type of unit including the military's top secret units. Task Force ODIN received a Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for their work with the 25th Infantry Division. The Army formed a similar unit in Afghanistan, where information provided by ODIN had resulted in the killing or capture of 365 militant leaders, detained 1,335 insurgent foot soldiers, and killed another 1,031 Taliban.

The TF Odin was about to become 306th Military Intelligence Battalion, and the battalion command decided to create two challenge coins for the unit. A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion (usually military), bearing an organization’s insignia or emblem and carried by the organization’s members. They are given to prove membership when challenged and to enhance morale. Such coins can also be awarded for excellence. In addition, they are also collected by service members. Being a big fan of my work, Brian wanted to see if I could help with the design. As I mentioned, the initial plan was to create two coins: one regular and another one specifically for the upcoming Afghanistan rotation. The idea of the unit coin was in the works for quite some time, and Brian supplied multiple ideas and drafts in form of several PowerPoint presentations. The timeframe for the coin was very tight – I would have only two weeks to come up with final draft for the first coin. I also happened to be extremely busy at the time, with few projects on the go. Nevertheless, I decided to accept the challenge, especially considering the fact that this would be my first challenge coin project. As I already mentioned, there was extensive amount of materials provided, however they already had their own version if the final draft, which they were about to present to several manufacturers for quotes. In fact, their final draft wasn’t bad at all (see below); I liked the overall idea. However, I was not blown away by implementation – it needed some serious professional touch. And so I got to work.

First off,   the central image of the coin – the Viking’s face had to be re-designed from scratch, since they were using a copyrighted image found on DeviantArt, and were yet to hear back from the designer… Also, the coin could greatly benefit from my 3D technique when it came to the insignia elements of the design. I also decided to revamp all the fonts and overall composition. They also opted for black metal look with raised silver and gold elements, so the right textures were paramount.  I had less than a week to come up with my version of the final draft, and there it was… They immediately liked it although a few minor changes were suggested. The changes were made, and version 2.1, which you can find below, was born.

At this point, they liked my design to such extent that the battalion's CO made a radical decision: to combine a unit coin with an Afghan rotation coin into just one. However, this would mean a serious re-design of the back. They suggested that 3D map of Afghanistan should be added to the mix (see below).

I instantly disliked the idea of 3D map… First off, it had a serious potential of resembling a giant cow pie in the middle of the design. Secondly, it wouldn’t be obvious enough to convey the Afghan connection, since not everyone is intimately familiar with geography Afghanistan. And so I came up with my own idea for the back of the coin.  It also helped that I already developed this idea earlier for my World Heraldry project. The premise was to combine Afghanistan’s flag, map and coat of arms into one full-color 3D-looking design. This time unit command was sold, and the final version 3.2 was approved for production. My first challenge coin was about to manifest in black metal silver and gold. Can’t wait to have one of these babies in my hand…