Meet CJ Barngrover

CJ Barngrover was born in Lafayette, Indiana, and graduated from Delphi Community High School in 1999. After graduation, he decided to join the military, mainly for the college money that the military provided. The next question for him was choosing a branch. His father was a marine, but he knew he didn’t want to do that. Two of his uncles were in the army, and he knew he didn’t want to be at sea or flying a jet, so he chose the army. 

Barngrover enlisted into the army when he was 19, serving for five and a half years, between 1999 and 2005. During that time, he was stationed in Kosovo for three months, Germany for two years, Virginia for three years, and Kuwait for six months. He was deployed to Task Force Falcon in Kosovo for three months between March and July of 2000. Afterward, he was stationed in Germany for two years. In 2003, he was stationed in Virginia for three years and was involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom for one tour. After Virginia, he was sent to a camp Kuwait. In Kuwait, he had a job as a petroleum supply specialist. This included working with the fuel and oil for all of their vehicles, including tanks. He also worked on a 25 mile pipeline that stretched from the Kuwait camp to the border of Iraq. 

During his time serving, the most memorable experience he had was when he was in Kuwait. While he and a fellow soldier were checking the pipeline, they ran into a group of Kuwaiti nationals. The Kuwaiti nationals were getting more involved in the operation, but he didn’t know that it was happening so soon. They Kuwaiti nationals were pointing weapons at them, so they had to be ready for anything. That was the only combat scare he ever experienced. He didn’t even tell his family about it until he came home because he didn’t want to worry them. 

Barngrover’s military experience made him the focused and disciplined man he is today. He and his wife Dawn have three children who attend Delphi Community Elementary School. He currently works as the head custodian at DCHS and coaches the 8th grade boys’ basketball team. 

Barngrover’s time in the service was not easy, but he would do it again. Even if he hadn’t needed the money for college, he still had always felt a pull to serve his country. The honor he felt, the discipline he gained, and the people he met made it all worth it.