Photo By Cpl. Darius Smith | Chief Warrant Officer 2 Torance Crawford, Data Operations Warrant Officer, 16th...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Torance Crawford, assigned to the 16th Military Police Brigade (16th MP), XVIII Airborne Corps, takes time out of his schedule to talk about his service and what family legacy means to him at Fort Bragg, N.C., May 12, 2026.
Inspired by his father, Terence, who retired as a first sergeant after an illustrious and dutiful career, Crawford always knew that he would join the family business and serve his country; he just had to carve out his own path and do it his way.
“I can remember a time, watching my father compete in a pull-up match against some Marines and winning,” Crawford recalled. “He was a hero to me, and I kind of wanted to relive that a little bit.”
As a data operations warrant officer, Crawford’s main job is to manage and maintain 16th MP’s servers and networks, especially their non-secure internet protocol router network and their secret internet protocol router network to ensure they are healthy and capable of keeping us in the fight when needed.
Due to his noncommissioned officer (NCO) roots and true to the NCO creed, the first thing Crawford does in the morning is take care of and check on his command team to ensure that they have everything they need to accomplish their tasks for the day.
“All I knew was the NCO realm of it,” Crawford said. “When I made that E-5, it was my greatest promotion, because it allowed me the opportunity to train and lead other Soldiers.”
Oftentimes, the assumption is made that Soldiers don’t have the ability to be free-thinkers; however, Crawford’s path to becoming a Soldier speaks to the opposite of that notion. Crawford enlisted in 2014 at the age of 28, and due to him joining later than most, he was afforded invaluable life experiences that would assist him in his ascension among the ranks and help to make him a much more effective leader.
“I joined a little later, because I wanted to build my own mindframe,” Crawford said when speaking on waiting until he was 28 to join. “I’ve always been a free-thinker and I wanted to develop that before I joined.”
Crawford’s Soldiers speak highly of him. One such Soldier, Spc. Mark Pollard, assigned to 16th MP, says the sentiment around the office is that the chief’s leadership style gives them confidence to learn and grow without him standing over their shoulders, rather giving them the room to apply the skills they have earned to complete their missions.
Crawford’s team of NCOs and junior soldiers trust him and know that he would never send them into battle unprepared. Pollard says chief has created a family environment in his office where his teammates can come to him and share feedback, personal issues or get advice.
“I love his leadership style,” said Pollard. “He gives me the tools I need to succeed and gives me the mission and tells me to go do it. I love that.”
When asked what he would say to encourage future NCOs and warrant officers, he offered this, “No one makes it alone. Whatever you learn, pass it on.”
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2026 21:07 |
| Story ID: | 565397 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 6 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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