General Douglas MacArthur's oft-quoted dictum that old soldiers never die, they just fade away, apparently no longer applies to today's military. At least, his words seemed not to apply to General Peter Pace, as the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff approached his term's end.

As his October 1 retirement approached, Pace showed no signs of a willingness to fade into the background. Instead, the four-star general carried out his final official duties with trademark vigor.

One telltale sign of his determination to finish strong was his insistence on passing out his personal commander's coin to every soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine he met. It is a well-established tradition in the military for commanders and top-ranking civilian leaders to present coins to troops during field visits and inspections. Recipients covet these coins both as tangible symbols of achievement and as permanent souvenirs of the time they shook the hand of the general, cabinet member, or other VIP who presented it to them. 

While Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was notoriously sparing with his, General Pace was known for handing his coins out by the hundreds. Wherever he went, Pace delivered on this expectation, "coining" every troop in sight, whether senior officer or private. It was no secret that his aides carried bags full of his coins so as not to disappoint anyone the General might encounter.

General Pace's personal coin is no small trinket. His pentagon-shaped coin is struck from solid brass, and, at 1¾ inches, won't get lost in the hand or the pocket. On one side is the blue-and-white flag of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Depicted below is his name in bold lettering. On the reverse are four stars surrounded by the insignia of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

Whereas many other military commanders dole their coins out in a lump sum, offering a message of encouragement to be passed on to troops, General Pace preferred to meet troops face to face. Whenever possible, Pace pressed his coin into the palm of willing hands while imparting words of praise for their commitment and courage.

Maybe that is why General Pace attracted troops in multitudes wherever he went, even through the final days of his tenure. Though he seemingly lost favor in Washington among some politicians, his support among both senior officers and the rank and file never deteriorated.

"He's the military equivalent of a rock star," said Don Smith, Vice President of Northwest Territorial Mint, the Seattle-based company that created General Pace's custom coin.

"Troops come out of the woodwork to hear what he has to say and get one of his coins," Smith said.

"They're so excited just to be in his presence that they get out their cell phones and start calling all their buddies to brag about it," he said. 

Founded in 1984 by a former Army aviator, Northwest Territorial Mint has emerged as the leading producer of custom challenge and commander's coins for all branches of America's armed forces. Through the years, the company has created personalized designs, not just for many of the nation's top-ranking military commanders like General Pace, but also for the men and women who rightly are fiercely proud of their own individual units.