2nd Battalion, 8th US Cavalry Commander Coin

I received this coin from the battalion commander in 2006 during our battalion's Joint Readiness Training Center rotation at Fort Polk, Louisiana, in preparation for deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom. I was a new officer in the battalion on my first assignment as a Military Intelligence officer after the Captain's Career Course at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and I faced a steep learning curve as a battalion staff officer in a new discipline. I distinctly remember falling asleep at my desk alongside the assistant S3 after we had worked all night on an operational plan for the battalion. At the end of the rotation, I received this coin from the battalion commander for being "Most Improved." It was a demanding rotation, and I am grateful for the commander's recognition. It remains a reminder that staff officers exist to serve their subordinate units—not the other way around.