Long Knife was the Indian name given George Rogers Clark by the tribes of the Ohio valley region. The Regiment has adopted that nickname. The three fleurs-de-lys represent the three former French colonies capture by George Rogers Clark from the British. The crown represents the British forces the Illinois Regiment fought during the American Revolution. Clark was victorious in all his encounters against the British. Clark’s unit, known as the Illinois Regiment based on the region they fought in during the Revolutionary war, carried a red & green striped flag representing the colors of the state of Virginia, under whose authority the regiment was organized. The GRC Regiment has adopted those colors. Quote from letter sent by George Rogers Clark to Virginia Governor Patrick Henry, his boss, just prior to his attack against the British fort near present day Vincennes, Indiana The sword symbolizes the fall of Fort Sackville on February 23, 1779 and the surrender by the British commander to George Rogers Clark.

The tradition of challenge coins dates back to the First World War and the American aviation squadrons. In the early days of the war, many wealthy scions attending colleges such as Yale and Harvard quit school to join the war, many of them as pilots; the most glamorous positions of the ugly trench warfare era. In one squadron, a wealthy lieutenant ordered medallions struck in solid bronze and presented them to his fellow pilots. One young pilot placed the medallion in a small leather pouch that he wore about his neck for good luck. Shortly after acquiring the medallions, the young pilot’s aircraft was severely damaged by ground fire and he was forced to land behind enemy lines. He was immediately captured by a German patrol who took all of his personal identification to discourage his escape. The Germans missed the small leather pouch around his neck which he kept out of sight. He was taken to a small French town near the front lines which received a heavy bombardment that night and during the commotion the pilot escaped his captures. For the next several days he succeeded in avoiding German patrols by donning civilian attire and eventually crossed no-man's land into a French sector of the allied lines. Because the French had experienced saboteurs operating in their sector wearing civilian clothes, and not recognizing the young pilot’s American accent, the French mistook him for the enemy and prepared to execute him. The only identification to prove his allegiance was the leather pouch containing squadron’s medallion. He showed the medallion to his would-be executioners and one of his French captors recognized the insignia on the medallion. They delayed his execution long enough to confirm his identity and instead of shooting him they gave him a bottle of wine. Back at his squadron, realizing that the medallion saved the pilot’s life, it became tradition to challenge other members to make sure they had their medallion or coin with them at all times. If a challenger asks to see the medallion and the challenged could not produce a medallion, the challenged person was required to buy their challenger his drink of choice. In return, if the challenge person produced their coin, the challenge was required to pay for the drinks. This tradition continued on throughout the war and for many years after the war while surviving members of the squadron were still alive. The Legend Behind the Challenge Coin