Chad Lawson is a former Green Beret and Ranger-certified U.S. Army veteran who spent the final seven years of his distinguished military career in special operations as part of a Special Missions Unit. He reported for boot camp on the morning of September 11, 2001, and medically retired in September 2019. Over the course of his service, Chad completed 15 combat deployments between 2003 and 2018.
Chad has received numerous awards for his bravery and leadership, including the Silver Star in 2012 for his heroic actions during a battle in 2011.
Chad met his wife, Erin—a native Texan—in 2015. They married in 2017 and maintained a long-distance relationship until his retirement, when he relocated from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Dripping Springs, Texas. Together, they have a blended family of four children: three sons, Colton, Liam, and Isaac, ages 18, 17, and 15, and an 11-year-old daughter, Mae.
An active member of his community, Chad co-founded The Duskin's and Stephens Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting the families of fallen Special Operations soldiers in honor of his teammates Mike Duskin and Riley Stephens, both of whom were killed in action in 2012. Chad also coached his son’s youth sports teams and founded TCG—Tenacity, Courage, Grit—a local AAU basketball program that continues to grow under Luke Axtel's leadership. Professionally, Chad is the Head of Sales at Zignal Labs, a company that specializes in open-source intelligence software. This role allows Chad to stay connected with and support the military community.