Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Dale Griffin, Air National Guard, Retired was born in Batesville, AR, on 17 May 1963. After graduating from Batesville High School in 1981, Griffin enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, achieving the rank of E-5 before being honorably discharged at the end of his enlistment. He then pursued a commission as an Air Force fighter pilot, attending Southern Illinois University on an ROTC scholarship. Griffin graduated in 1989 as a Distinguished Graduate and was commissioned in the USAF. He attended Undergraduate Flight Training at Sheppard AFB, TX, and was selected for the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program, where he was one of 50 candidates chosen out of 1,100 applicants and received the Top Officership Award for his class.

Griffin remained on active duty until 1999, joined the 188th Fighter Wing in Fort Smith, AR in 2000, and served as an Instructor Pilot and Flight Examiner in the F-15, F-16, and A-10 aircraft. He also organized two Regional Airshows in Fort Smith. Griffin completed eight combat deployments in Operations Southern Watch, Provide Comfort, Sky Anvil, and Northern Watch, with over 400 combat flight hours. His military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 OLCs, Air Medal with 1 OLC, Aerial Achievement Medal with 2 OLCs, among others. Griffin’s military career spanned more than 28 years.

After retiring in 2011, Griffin participated in Asa Hutchinson’s gubernatorial campaign and later worked as the Governor’s liaison to the Departments of the Military, Veterans Affairs, and Public Safety. During this period, he contributed to several military and veteran initiatives, including state income tax exemption for retired military pay and survivor benefits, tuition assistance for AR National Guardsmen, and the formation of a State Military Affairs Committee. This committee contributed to securing the F-35 Foreign Military Sales mission for Fort Smith. Griffin currently resides in Fort Smith and serves on the War Memorial Stadium Commission and the Western Arkansas Military Community Council board.