Operation Iraqi Freedom Multi-Unit Commemorative Coin

– A Story of Coalition and Shared Sacrifice This is a joint/coalition commemorative challenge coin from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), likely issued or traded during your 2006–2007 deployment with 5/11 Marines (Tango Battery) at Al Asad Air Base. These coins were common in theater—especially among coalition partners—to mark shared bases, missions, and the multinational fight against insurgency. Front Side (the map with flags and EGA): • Central map: Stylized outline of Iraq in red/white/black (Iraqi flag colors) with a gold border. Baghdad marked with a star. • Overlaid elements: • USMC EGA (Eagle, Globe, Anchor) in the center—your Marine identity. • Coalition flags/icons: UK (Union Jack with crown), Iraq (flag), US (eagle shield), and possibly others (Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait labeled as border nations). • Outer red enamel ring: Bold red border with gold stars and location names: AL ASAD • HADITHA DAM • AL QAIM • KOREAN VILLAGE — key hotspots in Anbar Province where you operated. • Overall: Heavy antique bronze with red/gold contrast. The map isn’t just decorative—it’s a tactical reminder of the battlespace: Al Asad as your fire base, Haditha Dam as a strategic choke point, Al Qaim near the Syrian border for interdiction, Korean Village as a forward outpost. Back Side (the OIF launch scene): • Outer ring: OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM • AL ASAD AIR BASE in raised gold lettering. • Central vignette: Palm trees silhouetted against a night sky, with a HIMARS (or MLRS) launcher firing rockets (trails arcing upward in orange/gold enamel), palm fronds in the foreground, and a faint Marine figure observing. Black enamel sky with gold highlights for the launch and stars. • Bottom banner: SEMPER FI with a small star. • Vibe: Captures the desert nights at Al Asad—dust, heat, the roar of rockets going out, the quiet tension waiting for counter-battery. The palm trees and launch trail are iconic OIF imagery: hot, dangerous, but mission-focused. The Story This Coin Tells This coin is a snapshot of the multinational effort in western Iraq during your deployment. You were at Al Asad firing HIMARS in support of ground ops—securing Haditha Dam against insurgents who wanted to flood the Euphrates or cut coalition supply lines, running convoys to Al Qaim near the Syrian border, and staging through places like Korean Village. The coin name-drops those locations because they were your AO—kinetic, IED-heavy, full of night fire missions and indirect fire alerts. The coalition flags and map emphasize the joint fight: US Marines, Iraqi forces, UK partners (common in Anbar), all working the same battlespace. These coins were often made locally (in theater) or traded between units to commemorate shared hardship and victories. It’s not an official USMC unit coin—it’s a personal, “we were here together” piece, probably picked up or swapped during a rare downtime moment at Al Asad.