William A. Cugno

Who was William A. Cugno?

Major General William A. Cugno was born April 4, 1948, in Waterbury, CT. He was the son of Anthony and Marie Cugno of Harwich, MA. He graduated from Waterbury's Crosby High School in 1967. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, CT in 1984 and a master's degree in public administration from Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA, in 1991.

General Cugno served as the adjutant general and commander of the Connecticut Army and Air National Guard from June 1999 until his retirement in April 2005. Prior to becoming the adjutant general, during his 38 year military career, he served in several command and staff positions. General Cugno was a combat veteran of Vietnam where he served as a platoon leader from August 1968 to 1969 with the 9th Infantry Division. He joined the Connecticut Army National Guardin 1970 and held several staff and company command positions to include the 1st Battalion, 192nd Artillery; Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 242nd Engineer Battalion; 130th Public Affairs Detachment. Following his company commands, General Cugno served as the Connecticut National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Manager for eight years. He then served as the commander of the 242nd Combat Engineer Battalion. Upon graduation from the U.S. Army War College, General Cugno was assigned as the commander of the 85th Troop Command, a brigade-size command, and served until 1994 when he was named the State Director of Plans, Operations, and Military Support for the Connecticut Military Department. In 1996, he served as the chief of staff for the City of Waterbury and was responsible for the day-to-day operations of city government.