Colonel (Ret.) Chris Toner served more than 29 years in the United States Army, culminating in senior command and strategic leadership roles during America’s longest war. A decorated wounded combat veteran, he led Task Force Catamount through the longest deployment in the twenty-year Afghan War—485 consecutive days of combat involving more than 565 engagements with enemy forces. Over the course of his career, he spent more than 40 months deployed to Afghanistan in key command and leadership positions.
Toner began his career as a Rifle Platoon Leader and Scout Platoon Leader with the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He later served with the 2nd Brigade, 7th Infantry Division (Light) as a Plans and Operations Officer, supporting Joint Task Force–Los Angeles during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), he commanded both a Rifle Company and Headquarters Company and subsequently served as aide to the division’s commanding general, General William “Buck” Kernan.
In 1999, Toner joined the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg as a Corps War Planner, then served as Operations Officer and Executive Officer for the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, deploying in support of the Multinational Force and Observers mission in Sinai, Egypt.
In 2004, he assumed command of the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. The battalion formed Task Force Catamount and deployed for 485 days (16 months) during Operation Enduring Freedom VII–VIII, earning the Valorous Unit Award for extraordinary heroism. He later commanded the Second Regiment of the United States Corps of Cadets at the United States Military Academy and subsequently commanded the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, which deployed as Task Force Duke in support of Operation Enduring Freedom XI–XII.
Toner later served as Chief of Staff of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), deploying with the division as Combined Joint Task Force–101 for Operation Enduring Freedom XIV. His combat leadership included responsibility for formations exceeding 10,000 joint and coalition personnel alongside Afghan National Security Forces.
He concluded his military career as the Army Assistant Surgeon General for Warrior Care and Commander of the Warrior Transition Command, overseeing the Army’s Warrior Care and Transition Program supporting wounded, ill, and injured soldiers recovering at Warrior Transition Units and those enrolled in the Army Wounded Warrior Program.
Colonel Toner’s awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (two awards), Bronze Star Medal (three awards), Purple Heart, Valorous Unit Award, Master Combat Infantryman Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Ranger Tab. He holds master’s degrees from the Naval War College and the School for Advanced Military Studies.
His battlefield leadership has been widely recognized through national and international media interviews and congressional testimony on the Army’s Warrior Care and Transition Program. His continued work in veteran care, suicide prevention, and leadership development has made him a trusted voice within military and veteran communities.
Toner’s writing draws on thousands of pages of battlefield reports, duty logs, personal journals, and firsthand interviews with soldiers he led in combat. He brings both the strategic perspective of a senior commander and the personal insight of a leader who guided soldiers through some of the war’s most demanding moments—and who continues to carry their stories forward.
Today, Colonel Toner dedicates his post-military career to advocating for veterans, speaking on leadership and resilience, and honoring the legacy of those who served.