War Is Money

“An army moves on it’s stomach” is a famous quote that I have heard many times. Don’t know who first said it but my dad, who was an army cook in WWII, would have whole heartedly agreed. Even so like every other GI he also bought war bonds which means he would have also agreed at least in part, that wars are usually won by the countries with the best financial and fund raising organization. The financial efforts are usually in the civilian sector and usually get rewarded with medals that are often overlooked. One of the best examples of many is the US Treasury Award struck in .835 fine silver with a Revolutionary War Minute Man on the obverse and the Iwo Jima Flag Raising Scene on the reverse. This medal neatly wraps up our military history to the end of WWII when it was issued. The only question is why the .835 silver fineness since our silver coinage (dime - half dollar) at the time was still .900 fine. May be it was just another way to save some money, after all it was all about finances wasn’t it?