A look at USS IDAHO challenge coins
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - We are just one week away from the christening of the USS IDAHO, the Navy’s newest Virginia-class submarine.
The USS IDAHO Commissioning Committee has several local members that are getting ready to head to Groton, Connecticut for the ceremony.
The land locked state of Idaho has a great history with the Navy.
The first nuclear submarine crew trained in Lake Pend Oreille, which was perfect because of its depth and acoustics.
In the USS IDAHO christening, instead of a bottle of champagne, it will be water collected from four of Idaho's lakes.
One of the very cool things that is a part of the celebration will be USS IDAHO challenge coins.
Challenge coins bear the insignia and special images of an organization. They have a rich history in the military dating back to World War I.
One of the people headed to the christening is Idaho sub mariner Lance Kolbet, a Pocatello resident and former sub mariner from Idaho. He told us about the coins.
"Each command will generally have their own challenge coin, and individuals will also have challenge coins developed for themselves personally," he said. "And so the rule is, is that if you're offered a handshake and you don't have a challenge coin in your hand, then the person without the challenge coin owes a dream."
Kolbet will be sending us back video of all the celebrations during the christening ceremony.