Chief Warrant Officer Five (CW5) Hal Griffin III

Chief Warrant Officer Five (CW5) Hal Griffin III is the seventh Command Chief Warrant Officer, USARC and Senior Warrant Officer Advisor to the Chief of the Army Reserve. He is responsible to develop and synchronize warrant officer related policy initiatives and advise the USARC Commander and staff on the life cycle of warrant officer talent management including force modernization, recruiting, training, utilization, education and career enhancement  with focus on growing the Future Force.

CW5 Griffin enlisted in the Army in California in 1985. Graduating with honors, he served as a Satellite Communications Systems Technician for two tours in Korea. He was accepted to flight school in 1989 from Fort Meade and appointed as a WO1 graduating with honors in 1990 at Fort Rucker. After transitioning from the UH-1H to the UH-60A helicopter, he served for three years in Germany with the 159th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) with deployment to Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. He then served three years with 4th Brigade, 1st AD with two deployments to Operation Provide Comfort in Iraq. In 1995 he deployed to Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia.

Following the Aviation Maintenance Officer Course in 1998, with over 1,170 total flight hours and a perfect safety record injuries forced Chief Griffin to choose a new career. After temporary duty as an instructor at the Warrant Officer Career Center, Chief Griffin qualified in the Ordnance Branch in Electronic Systems Maintenance. He served at F Company, 58th Aviation Regiment, Fort Rucker as a Platoon Leader and Maintenance Officer before leaving active service in 1999.

From 1999 to 2006 Chief Griffin served at US Army Garrisons in Hanau and Wiesbaden, Germany in the Individual Ready Reserve. In 2006, Chief Griffin accepted an invitation to deploy with 758th Maintenance Company to Operation Iraqi Freedom. He ran materiel fielding with the Multi-National Security Transition Command delivering M16 and M4 rifles, ammunition, supplies and training to the Iraq Army.

After redeployment and Civil Service transfer to Natick Soldier Systems Center in 2008, Chief Griffin was assigned to B Company, 533rd Brigade Support Battalion, Fort Devens. He volunteered for duty as the Battalion S2 and S6 at Fort Totten, New York, positions he held until 2011 when he was assigned to 377th TSC Support Operations as the Chief, Electronics Section, Materiel Readiness Branch.

In 2013, Chief Griffin deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom with duty at ISAF Joint Command. He served as advisor to the Afghan Brigadier General commanding the Central Work Shop, the Afghan military’s only organic depot for overhaul and rebuild. Chief Griffin redeployed in 2014, and was reassigned to 377th TSC with duty as the Command Chief Warrant Officer.

Chief Griffin’s military education includes the Brigade Pre-Command Course; Warrant Officer Senior Staff Course; Ordnance Warrant Officer Advanced and Basic Courses; Basic Instructor Course; Aviation Maintenance Officer Course; Aviation Life Support Equipment Course; Initial Entry Rotary Wing Course and the Air Assault Course.

Chief Griffin holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Excelsior College. He is a Demonstrated Master Logistician with the International Society of Logistics, and is Level III certified in Defense Acquisition Logistics. He holds life memberships in the Association of the United States Army, the US Army Warrant Officers Association, the Ordnance Corps Association and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Chief Griffin is a recipient of the Ordnance Order of Samuel Sharpe.

His military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Non-Article V NATO Medals (Balkans and ISAF), Korea Defense Service Medal, the Army Aviator Badge and the Air Assault Badge.

Chief Griffin lives in Maryland, has one son working in the transportation industry in Salt Lake City with one grandson, and his daughter is attending university in Germany.