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What Do The Coins Left On Military Tombstones Mean?

Have you ever been in a cemetery and saw cons laying on a tombstone? There is actually a reason behind it. Read more, so you can know what each coin means, and maybe as you visit a fallen soldier this Memorial Day, you can leave a coin to honor them too.

According to snopes.com these meanings vary depending on the denomination of coin: A coin left on a headstone let’s the deceased soldier’s family know that somebody stopped by to pay their respect. Leaving a penny means you visited.

A nickel means that you and the deceased soldier trained at boot camp together. If you served with the soldier, you leave a dime. A quarter is very significant because it means that you were there when that soldier was killed.

So what happens to the coins after Memorial Day? It is collected and the money is used for cemetery maintenance, the cost of burial for soldiers, or the care for indigent soldiers. Supposedly the tradition became popular here in the United States during the Vietnam war. It is believed it was a way to show respect without getting into an uncomfortable political discussion about a war that was very controversial.

In general, however, this tradition can be traced to as far back as the Roman Empire. It was a way to give a buddy some spending money for the hereafter.

Source: Mix 106 Radio

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