Chief Warrant Officer Ralph E. Chavez
United States Navy

Chief Warrant Officer Ralph Chavez is a nineteen-year veteran of the United States Navy and is currently serving with U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133, homeported in Gulfport, Mississippi.  He recently completed an assignment with the Why We Serve speakers program where he shared his assignment in Afghanistan and speaks to groups around the country about his personal experiences serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

In February 2007, then Chief Petty Officer Chavez returned from a deployment to Afghanistan, after volunteering for a 545-day Individual Augmentation (IA) assignment.  Chavez deployed with the 405th Civil Affairs Battalion as a Civil Affairs Team Sergeant to Forward Operating Base Gardez, Afghanistan early in 2006.  His team supported the 10th Mountain Division’s Third Brigade Combat Team and their reconstruction and nation-building efforts in the Paktiya and Logar Provinces.

Upon his return from deployment, he advanced to Senior Chief Petty Officer and was selected for a Joint assignment with Commander, United States Pacific Command, Hawaii.  In October 2008, he was commissioned as a Chief Warrant Officer.
 
Chief Warrant Officer Chavez was raised in San Antonio, TX.  He enlisted in the United States Navy on 24 August 1989 and completed recruit training at RTC Orlando, Florida.  Chavez holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio and is presently working towards his Master’s Degree in Business and Organizational Security from Webster University of Missouri.

Chavez’s decorations include the Bronze Star Medal; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (4); the Joint Service Achievement Medal; the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (3); the Combat Action Ribbon; the Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon; Navy “E” Ribbon (2); the Good Conduct Medal (5); the National Defense Service Medal (2); the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; the Afghan Campaign Medal; the Naval Reserve Sea Service Ribbon; the Navy Overseas Service Ribbon; Armed Force Reserve Medal (Bronze Hour Glass & M devices); the NATO Medal; the Expert Rifleman Medal; and the Expert Pistol Shot Medal.