Class of 1974
Major General Thomas R. Csrnko assumed command of Special Operations Command Europe (Airborne) on August 25, 2003. Major General Csrnko was commissioned from Indiana University of Pennsylvania as an Infantry Officer in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Major General Csrnko's first assignment was rifle and then mortar platoon leader, A Company; heavy mortar platoon leader and then executive officer, Combat Support Company, Assistant S3 for Operations, 2nd Battalion, 34th Infantry; and assistant S3 for Operations, 1st Brigade, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia.
He graduated from the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Special Forces Officer Qualification Course and then was assigned to 3d Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He served as commander, Special Forces Operation Detachment Alpha 586, Battalion Adjutant, and commander, A Company, from 1979 to 1982.
In 1982, Major General Csrnko was assigned to Germany as 3d Armored Division, assistant G1 (Plans and Policy) and then commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Armored Division, United States Europe and Seventh Army.
Following this tour with 3d Armored Division, he was assigned as the inspector general, United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from 1985 to 1988. He then served as executive officer, 3d Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from 1988 to 1990. Major General Csrnko graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College and was assigned as a joint staff officer, Special Operations Division, J3, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C., from 1990 to 1993.
Following the Pentagon, Major General Csrnko was assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to assume command of 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from 1993 to 1995.
Following battalion command, he served as chief, Special Operations Coordination Element (SOCOORD), III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas, from 1995 to 1996, and then attended the United States Army War College from 1996 to 1997. From June 1997 to June 1998, he served as director, Department of Joint and Multinational Operations, United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Major General Csrnko then assumed command of 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Lewis, Washington, on July 1, 1998. In August 2000, he was reassigned as deputy commander/assistant commandant, United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
In August 2001, Major General Csrnko was assigned as chief, Office of Military Cooperation Kuwait, American Embassy, until August 2003.
He is a graduate of the United States Army War College, Command and General Staff College, Armed Forces Staff College, and Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses.
Major General Csrnko's awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, (7 OLC), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (1 OLC), Expert Infantry Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Special Forces Tab, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge.