AUGUSTA HIGH SCHOOL HALL OF FAME Inductee: Chris Crum Class: 1989

Augusta High School and USD 402 proudly induct Chris Crum into the Augusta High School Hall of Fame, honoring a distinguished career of military heroism, elite counter-terrorism service, entrepreneurial drive, and compassionate support for American veterans.

Raised in Augusta and rooted in the Flint Hills, Chris was named Augusta High School's 1989 Co-Athlete of the Year. He went on to play collegiate football at Bethany College, graduating in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology before answering the call to military service.

Chris enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1994, earning his Special Forces Tab as a Green Beret in 1999. Serving with the elite 10th Special Forces Group as an Engineer Sergeant and Sniper, he deployed on two combat tours to Kosovo and two to Iraq. For exceptional bravery under fire during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor. His combat actions were featured in Time, U.S. News & World Report, and the book Masters of Chaos. Following 10 years of military service, Chris served in high-risk executive protection in Basra, Iraq, and spent five years on a premier Defense Threat Reduction Agency team, training extensively in advanced tactical operations, radiation counter-measures, and high-speed mobility.

Beyond his tactical service, Chris is a successful entrepreneur and creative artist. He founded Chris Crum Photography in 2011, co-created the award-winning national hot sauce brand Crum’s Sauce in 2014, and worked with the FBI’s Contingency Response Survey Team. In 2017, he co-founded Phoenix Rising Inc., a non-profit foundation providing cost-free mountain wilderness traverses in Colorado to support veterans, first responders, and their families.