PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE OF HIS DUTIES WHILE SERVING AS ELEMENT MEMBER, MARINE SPECIAL OPERATIONS TEAM 8233, COMPANY HOTEL, 2D MARINE RAIDER BATTALION, U.S. MARINE CORPS FORCES, SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND FROM JANUARY 1998 TO MAY 2011. STAFF SERGEANT DILGER DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE COMBAT READINESS OF HIS TEAM BY SERVING AS THE TEAM COMMUNICATOR ON NINE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, ACCOUNTING FOR STANDARD AND NON-STANDARD COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT, VALUED OVER 485,000 DOLLARS. ADDITIONALLY, HE SUPPORTED THE COMPANY AS THE SOLE TECHNICAL SURVEILLANCE OPERATOR THROUGHOUT TWO CERTIFYING EXERCISES. DEPLOYED, HE SERVED AS THE LEAD COORDINATOR FOR THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT, STREAMLINING THE ACQUISITION OF OFFICIAL PASSPORTS FOR HIS TEAM, A MISSION CRITICAL REQUIREMENT. ARRIVING AT THE TEAM'S MISSION SUPPORT SITE, HE LED EFFORTS TO VALIDATE THE PARTNER FORCE AS A QUICK REACTION ELEMENT, PROVIDING TEN WEEKS OF INSTRUCTION IN SMALL UNIT TACTICS, CLOSE QUARTERS BATTLE AND IMMEDIATE ACTION DRILLS, CULMINATING IN THREE FULL MISSION PROFILE RAIDS. STAFF SERGEANT DILGER'S UNWAVERING DEVOTION TO DUTY REFLECTED CREDIT UPON HIMSELF AND UPHELD THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE MARINE CORPS AND THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE.

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