Command Chief Warrant Officer, United States ARmy Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, KS

Chief Warrant Officer Five (CW5) Richard R. Kunz Jr. enlisted in the Army as a military policeman in 1982, serving at Fort Hood, Texas; in Honduras; and in the Republic of Korea. CW5 Kunz completed the Special Forces Communications Sergeant Qualification Course in 1986 and was subsequently assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Okinawa, Japan. He was appointed as a Special Forces Warrant Officer in 1995, and began his warrant officer career serving as an assistant detachment commander in the 1st SFG (A) at Fort Lewis, Washington.

CW5 Kunz’s operational assignments within the 1st SFG (A), included assistant detachment commander, company operations warrant officer, battalion operations warrant officer, group operations warrant officer, and command chief warrant officer. His staff assignments include: Assistant Ground Operations Officer, Joint Interagency Task Force West, Coast Guard Island, Alameda, California; UW/PE Desk Officer, U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida; Command Chief Warrant Officer, 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and Special Forces Chief Warrant Officer of the Branch and Command Chief Warrant Officer of the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

CW5 Kunz’s military education includes completion of numerous Special Forces and special operations courses including the Special Forces Operations and Intelligence Course, SERE-C, Psychological Operations Officer’s Course and the Civil Affairs Officer’s Course. CW5 Kunz is a graduate of the Warrant Officer Candidate School, Warrant Officer Basic, Advanced, Staff and Senior Staff courses. His civilian education includes a BS from the State University of New York and a dual MA in Security Management and Human Resources from Webster University.

He has participated in numerous overseas deployments, including Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan, Operation Enduring FreedomPhilippines and various mobile training teams, counter-narcotics missions, Joint Chiefs of Staff exercises, and joint combined exchange training throughout the Pacific.

CW5 Kunz’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with oak-leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak-leaf clusters, Joint Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with one oak-leaf cluster, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal two oak-leaf clusters, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Special Forces Tab and the Ranger Tab. He has also been awarded the Korean, Malaysian, Thai, Philippine, German, and Italian Parachutists Badges.