Photo By Daniel Rachal | Dr. Jeff Crapper, a school educator and Oregon volunteer firefighter, left, takes the...... read more read more
SOMETIMES THE CALL TO SERVE COMES LATER THAN YOU THINK
by Dan Rachal
NTAG Portland Public Affairs
If Dr\. Jeff Crapper would have raised his right hand right after graduating high school and enlisted in the United States Navy, he could have retired this year\.
In almost Benjamin Button fashion, he is beginning his Navy career in reverse\. On Aug\. 11, 2026, at 48\-years\-old, he was sworn into the United States Navy as an officer in the Chaplain Corps\.
Crapper noted that, while he was starting a Navy career later in life, it is because he has a desire to be of service to people\. “I am looking to challenge myself at the highest level while making a tangible difference in the lives of Sailors and Marines,” he said. “I want to grow in my own faith and leadership by mentoring others through their hardest moments.”
Crapper said it took over a year and a half, and tested the limits of his resilience and dedication, before being selected as an officer in the Chaplain Corps. He was not chosen on his initial application and had to obtain a second master’s degree and an age waiver, before being selected on his second attempt.
After high school, Crapper originally wanted to compete at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon, his father’s Alma Mater, in track and field. As an athlete at West Albany High School in Albany, Oregon. Crapper was one of the top discus throwers in the nation. Unfortunately, a serious knee injury altered those plans. He still attended Linfield, triple majoring in sports medicine, health education and exercise science.
Shortly after graduating in 2001, he began working with the Sherwood School District in Sherwood, Oregon. In 2020, because of a shortage of first responders during COVID, he began as a volunteer firefighter in Dayton, Oregon. In 2021, he started working as a member of the Beaverton School District crisis response team.
On July 27, 2026, Chief Navy Counselor Tiffany Colburn, his recruiter at Navy Talent Acquisition Group Portland, called Crapper to let him know the good news – his application was selected. When she reached him, he wasn’t on summer vacation with family or getting ready for the school year, he was in northern Oregon fighting the Hagen fire, which was burning 26,000 acres at the time.
“I gave him a call and woke him up in the middle of his sleep,” Colburn said. “Honestly, I wouldn’t expect anything else from him. He’s always doing everything he can, so it’s not surprising. He’s fighting fires until two or three days before he ships out.”
So, while being amid a literal fire, Crapper learned he would go into another profession at a time when, according to a 2022 Stanford Center on Longevity Report, Americans are beginning to plan for retirement. To him, this is not about starting anew but rather taking his decades of experience, resilience and faith to make a meaningful difference with those who serve.
“I’ve served on the front lines as both a firefighter and a member of a school district crisis response team and spent my career running toward situations where most people flee, which has given me a practical, grounded approach to spiritual leadership and to supporting others through their darkest hours,” Crapper said. “I aspire to craft a story that demonstrates that it’s never too late to pursue a new path of service and impact.”
Navy Talent Acquisition Group Portland is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and operates two Navy Officer Recruiting stations and 17 Navy Recruiting stations locatedthroughout northern California, western Idaho, Oregon, northern Nevada and southernWashington, covering more than 210,000 square miles. NTAG Portland is staffed withmore than 130 Sailors and civilians whose mission is the recruitment of high-qualitymen and women to fill the officer and enlisted ranks in the U.S. Navy. Follow NTAGPortland on Facebook and Instagram @ntagportland.
| Date Taken: | 09.09.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.09.2026 19:07 |
| Story ID: | 574229 |
| Location: | PORTLAND, OREGON, US |
| Hometown: | DAYTON, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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