Chief Warrant Officer 5 Hal Griffin

Chief Warrant Officer Five Hal 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.

Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5) Griffin was 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 159^th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) with deployment to Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. He then served three years with 4^th Brigade, 1^st 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 CW5 Griffin to choose a new career. After temporary duty as an instructor at the Warrant Officer Career Center, CW5 Griffin qualified in the Ordnance Branch in Electronic Systems Maintenance. He served at F Company, 58^th Aviation Regiment, Fort Rucker as a Platoon Leader and Maintenance Officer before leaving active service in 1999.

From 1999 to 2006 CW5 Griffin served at US Army Garrisons in Hanau and Wiesbaden, Germany in the Individual Ready Reserve. In 2006, CW5 Griffin accepted an invitation to deploy with 758^th Maintenance Company to Operation Iraqi Freedom. With the Multi-National Security Transition Command he ran materiel fielding 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, CW5 Griffin was assigned to B Company, 533^rd 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 377^th TSC Support Operations as the Chief, Electronics Section, Materiel Readiness Branch.

In 2013, CW5 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. CW5 Griffin redeployed in 2014, and was reassigned to 377^th TSC with duty as the Command Chief Warrant Officer.

CW5 Griffin’s military education includes the Warrant Officer Senior Staff Course; Ordnance Warrant Officer Advanced and Basic Courses; Basic Instructor Course; Aviation Life Support Equipment Course; Initial Entry Rotary Wing Course and the Air Assault Course.

CW5 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 Army Warrant Officer Association; Ordnance Corps Association; and Veterans of Foreign Wars. CW5 Griffin is a recipient of the Ordnance Order of Samuel Sharpe.