2nd Battalion, 8th US Cavalry Commander Coin

I received this coin from LTC Scott Efflandt (later MG Efflandt, Ret.) in 2006 during our BN's Joint Readiness Training Center rotation at Fort Polk, Louisiana. This was our rotation in preparation for our deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a new officer assigned to the battalion and my first tour as a military intelligence officer following the Captain's Career Course at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, I had a steep learning curve as a battalion staff officer in a new discipline. I distinctly remember falling asleep at my desk with the Assistant S3, CPT Lawrence Nunn, after working all night on an operational plan for the battalion. I received this coin from LTC Efflandt for "most Improved" at the end of the rotation. It was a demanding rotation and I am grateful for the commander's recognition as a reminder that staff officers exist to serve their subordinate units- not the other way around.