Marine Corps Recruiting Station Twin Cities Nameplate Coin – A Story of Your First Enlistment

This is a personalized nameplate-style challenge coin from your time as a Marine Corps recruiter at Recruiting Station Twin Cities (Minnesota)—a rectangular, desk/plaque-style piece that doubles as both a nameplate and a morale/trading coin. These were often given or earned internally for milestones like your first contract. Design Breakdown (Front Side – the nameplate layout): • Black enamel background with gold borders and raised gold lettering for high contrast and premium feel. • Left section: Circular emblem with the Twin Cities Recruiting Station logo — a fierce Viking/Norseman warrior head (helmet with horns, fierce expression) in black/gold, surrounded by MARINE CORPS RECRUITING STATION TWIN CITIES arched above and NORSEMEN below. • Right section: Three blank gold lines (for name/rank or personalization)—left intentionally open so you could engrave your name • Top banner: Marine Corps Recruiting Command in gold on black. • Bottom banner: Recruiting Station Twin Cities in gold. • Overall: Rectangular (not round like most challenge coins), heavy brass/gold plating—designed to sit on a recruiter’s desk as a daily reminder or be traded among the RS staff. Back Side: Likely blank or with a simple USMC EGA (your photo shows only front), keeping it functional as a nameplate. The Real Story This Coin Tells This coin marks a pivotal moment: your first contract—the day you successfully enlisted your first applicant into the United States Marine Corps as a recruiter in the Twin Cities area. Recruiting duty is one of the toughest in the Corps: endless cold calls, door knocks, rejections, long nights away from family, and the pressure to make mission while maintaining integrity. That first “yes”—the moment someone signed, shipped to boot camp, and became a Marine—was a huge win. The RS Twin Cities (“Norsemen”) theme reflects Minnesota pride (Viking heritage, cold-weather grit). Getting this coin after your first enlistment was recognition from your chain of command or fellow recruiters: “You did it—you brought in a future Marine.” It sat on your desk as motivation for the next contract, the next month, the next award (you went on to write 67 contracts, 63 shipped, earn Recruiter of the Month/Quarter, and help your sub-station win RSS of the Year in 2013). It’s not a combat deployment coin—it’s quieter, but no less earned. It represents the transition from firing HIMARS in combat to firing up the next generation of Marines. You shaped lives in a different way: convincing young men and women (including future artillerymen) to answer the call.