Colonel Styskal graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor’s degree in History and was commissioned through the NROTC program in May 1994. After completing the Basic Officer Course and Infantry Officer’s Course he reported to 1st Battalion, 1st Marines. As a Lieutenant in 1/1 he served as a rifle and weapons Platoon commander and the Company C executive officer, deploying twice with the 15th and 13th Marine Expeditionary Units into the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf.
After serving as an instructor at The Basic School and Infantry Officer’s Course from 1998 to 2001, Captain Styskal attended the Amphibious Warfare School. In August 2002, he was assigned to 2d Battalion, 7th Marines and deployed as the weapons company commander to Okinawa, Japan in support of the Unit Deployment Program. In January 2004, Major Styskal deployed with 2/7 as the battalion operations officer in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II where the battalion conducted combat operations in Fallujah, Hit and Haditha, Iraq.
In May 2005, Major Styskal reported to the United States Naval Academy for duty as a Naval Post-Graduate School student and company officer, earning a Master’s in Leadership and Human Resource Development. In 2009, he completed the USMC School of Advanced Warfighting (SAW) earning a Master’s in Operational Studies.
After completing SAW, Major Styskal reported to 2d Marine Division and deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (2d MEB / Task Force Leatherneck) serving a future operations planner from July 2009 to May 2010. Lieutenant Colonel Styskal deployed again to Helmand Province with the future operations section, II Marine Expeditionary Force Forward / Regional Command Southwest in February 2011.
Lieutenant Colonel Styskal commanded 2d Battalion, 9th Marines from June 2011 to June 2013 and led the battalion through a combat deployment to Marjah District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. During this deployment, 2/9 oversaw the transition of Marjah District to full ANSF and Government of Afghanistan control.
Lieutenant Colonel Styskal attended the Naval War College from August 2013 to June 2014, earning a Master’s in National Security and Strategic Studies and was assigned to US Special Operations Command from July 2014 to May 2017. Colonel Styskal served as a strategic concepts planner in the J5 and as the J35 Transregional Synchronization Branch Chief in the J3 before reporting to the 3d Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division in June 2017.