Chip Schellhorn, president/owner of CMJ Manufacturing in Mulvane, has been motivated to serve his country – something he has continued to help with in certain ways even since he left the Navy.
Schellhorn was a senior in high school at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which motivated him to enter the military. He also had some family history that pushed him down that path, as his father had been a pilot in the Navy.
While service members can join through a service academy or officer candidate school, Schellhorn took the third path – through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. As Schellhorn, a native of Prairie Village, had already put in his college applications at that point of his senior year, he went the ROTC route – attending Harvard University, joining the ROTC unit immediately then earning a commission in the Navy upon graduation.
For 11 years, from 2006 to 2017, Schellhorn served as a junior officer – with his primary role as a supervisor and manager. But he also followed in his father’s footsteps, serving as a fighter pilot in the Navy.
“My first job was to take care of my troops, or my sailors in my case. My functional job was as a pilot. For my 11 yea...