Fit to Serve is proudly sponsored by The Transcend Foundation.
United States Air Force Master Sergeant Chase Griffin has what he considers to be a beneficial and enjoyable job. Griffin works as a recruiter in Rockledge, Florida and speaks to high school students that may be interested in joining the military.
“I am very blessed to be where I am at.”
Griffin can speak about why the military can be such a life-changing decision because he knows it firsthand. He shared that he came from a broken home in Kansas, with his parents splitting up when he was very young. After going back and forth between his parents, his mother would get into trouble with drugs and be sentenced to prison. By the time he was in high school, he wasn’t living with either parent.
“I lived with my best friend and his parents. I slept on the couch.”
A blessing that came from his childhood was spending a lot of time outside, which kept him active. He recalled throwing hay bales, which he said served as his first connection to weightlifting. He also played various sports.
“It was always football, track, and wrestling when I was in junior high. I focused on football and wrestling in high school.”
He may not have known that the military would be his calling, but he did have family members that served. His maternal grandfather was in the Army, serving in the Criminal Investigation division. He passed away before Griffin was born, but he heard several stories about him and was proud to share how much of an impact he had.
“He was inducted into the Army CID Hall of Fame in 2017 or 2018,” he said. “It inspired me to at least think about the military.”
Because of the connection with his grandfather, he had considered the Army before the Air Force, but there was an Air National Guard base close to where he lived. A wrestling teammate from high school convinced him to join, and the rest was history.
“I joined on 16 December 2008.”
Even though he was in shape from playing sports, the introduction to service was a wake-up call that he had room for improvement, specifically with cardio.
He admitted, “The amount of cardio we had to do was a shock to me. I had always did the 100 meters in track but didn’t run much longer than that. I had to do a mile and a half run for the PT test. That was new to me.”
He obviously adjusted and began his career in ground transportation. He went to South Korea for that, followed by postal service in Germany. He then relocated to Florida, then back to South Korea, and Arizona, where he was in 2021 when he was tapped to take the position that he has now.
Chase Giffin
Looking back on his time traveling the world while serving his country, he had several proud moments. One of the proudest was when he was in South Korea and worked with the United States Secret Service while President Donald Trump was traveling to North Korea during peace treaty talks. Griffin was one of those that worked to ensure the transportation and protection went as planned. He even briefly met the 45th President.
“It’s not often you get to see the Commander-in-chief in person and shake his hand.”
As of 2024, Griffin covers five schools as a recruiter. He visits each school monthly to connect with students and share that the Air Force is an option they should consider. They don’t have to be locked into taking on student debt to get through college.
It is no secret that the military has been working hard to bring new members of the military in. Griffin feels that a combination of misinformation and lack of reliable information being shared is partly to blame for that.
“All of the branches deal with that,” he shared. One of the biggest misconceptions is that there is no option for further education, which is the furthest thing from the truth. Griffin himself has two Associate’s degrees, a bachelor’s degree and multiple certifications.
“The education opportunities are there.”
Besides increasing awareness of the facts of service, the husband and father can lean on his experience when he is talking to potential recruits because he can emphasize that joining the military can be a special opportunity to be a part of history in the making – one that can make kids today pivotal in world-changing events tomorrow.
“They can say that they helped support this. Without them, it may not have happened.”
He does advise students that they should start focusing on being in shape now before they commit. The standards for the Air Force are the same as the Department of Defense, but Griffin shared that whether students join or not, getting in shape is never a bad idea. That said, he has faith in the future of service for our country and freedom abroad, and he hopes more young people consider service.
“You can 100 percent get better, learn to follow, and learn to lead.”
M&F Senior Military Editor Rob Wilkins contributed to this article.
Chase Giffin
Chase Griffin’s Full Body Office Workout
Griffin stays busy, but he makes time to train, even if that means working out during a lunch break. This office workout doesn’t require much equipment, but you can make it a challenging session if you put your best effort into it. Rest 30-60 seconds between sets.
