Brigadier General Thomas C. Friloux

Brigadier General Thomas C. Friloux enlisted into military service in the Louisiana Army National Guard on January 22, 1988.  He was mobilized into active Federal service with the 256^th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) in November 1990 in support of Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield.  At the rank of Sergeant he attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an Infantry Second Lieutenant in August 1992.   BG Friloux was mobilized into active Federal service with the 256^th enhanced Separate Brigade (Mechanized) in May 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II/III.  He deployed to Baghdad, Iraq and served as the Operations Officer for Task Force 3-156^th Infantry during combat and humanitarian assistance operations from October 2004 till the unit’s redeployment back to the United States in September 2005.  BG Friloux was mobilized into active Federal service with the 256^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in January 2011 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom X and Operation New Dawn.  He deployed to Baghdad, Iraq and served as the Brigade Operations Officer during security force operations from February 2010 till the unit’s redeployment back to the United States in December 2010.

His previous command and staff positions include: Commander, A Troop 108^th Cavalry; Commander, A Company 3-156^th Infantry (Mechanized); Commander, B Company 3-156^th Infantry (Mechanized); Operations Officer, HQ 3-156^th Infantry Battalion (Mechanized); Executive Officer, HQ 3-156^th Infantry Battalion; Operations Officer, HQ 256^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team; and Commander, 2-156^th Infantry Battalion, and J3, Director of Operations. He currently serves as the Director of the Joint Staff for the Louisiana National Guard.

BG Friloux’ s military education includes the Infantry Officer’s Basic and Advanced Courses, Combined Arms Services and Staff School, Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College.  His holds a Baccalaureate of Science in Psychology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in May 1995, a Masters of Arts in Military Studies with a Concentration in Land Warfare from the American Military University in May 2011, and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in July 2016.

BG Friloux’ s military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Louisiana War Cross, the Louisiana Legion of Merit, the Louisiana Cross of Merit, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, and other decorations.

BG Friloux resides in New Orleans, LA and is married to the former Laurie Anne Spadoni with four children: Madison, Dylan, Zachary, and Nicholas.