Chad Robichaux's life is a compelling story of resilience, redemption, and service. A USMC Force Recon Veteran and DoD Contractor, Chad served eight deployments to Afghanistan as part of a Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Task Force.
Chad Robichaux and his wife Kathy.
However, his story goes far beyond his experiences on the battlefield; it's a narrative of resilience, redemption, and a mission to serve those in need. Here's a closer look at his journey.
Early Life and Military Service
Since World War II, the Robichaux family has given 84 years of service to the American military. Robichaux and his brother, who were a year apart, decided as teenagers to become Marines. They devoured books about 3rd and 4th Recon Companies and Special Forces in Vietnam. The death of his brother hardened his resolve to become a Marine. As a high school athlete, he did his best to maintain his strength and conditioning, not for sports, but for his future in the military.
USMC Force Recon symbol.
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At 17, he pleaded with his Marine recruiter to let him join the Marines earlier than usual. He would later attain a master’s degree in business. That situation took a turn on September 11, 2001. He had already been in the Marines for eight years and was a sergeant in the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company. He was also married with children.
“When I saw those planes fly into those buildings I knew my life was about to be different,” he recalled. “I wanted to go and serve.
Over the course of four years, he would be deployed eight times to Afghanistan as part of the elite Joint Special Operations Command. Robichaux would find himself constantly in the heart of combat. He would witness not just the death of comrades and enemy soldiers, but the evil and cruelty of his enemies who relentlessly tortured and killed innocent civilians.
He and his fellow soldiers would be tried by fire in the heat of battle and emerge closer and stronger together. The vulnerability of friendship in battle, however, would lead to emotional devastation, as he buried 15 friends, including his best friend of 10 years.
“It’s hard for that not to shape you,” he said. “Either you grow from it or it crushes you. I think ultimately I grew from it.
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While he struggled with the ever-worsening symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), tragedy struck when one of his teams was captured by the Taliban and killed. His shelter in Afghanistan was later blown up by a vehicle-borne IED (improvised explosive device) by the same Taliban members.
MMA Career
His wife Kathy and his counselor advised him to get into Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He began competing in the martial art and turned professional. He rose through the MMA ranks and won a world title, ultimately ranking 19th in the world for flyweight and 11th for bantamweight. His success and popularity led him to open a Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy that quickly blossomed to 1,000 students.
On August 21, 2010, Chad Robichaux stood in the middle of the Toyota Center before thousands of cheering fans. He had just finished a fight for Strikeforce, the second-largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization at the time. The three judges submitted their scorecards. It was a split decision.
Toyota Center.
Robichaux is a former Professional MMA Champion and #6 World Ranked Fighter with an 18-2 professional record, 17 of his wins coming by way of submission. A lifelong martial artist, he holds black belts in multiple disciplines to include a 4th Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the legendary Carlson Gracie Jr. At the rank of black belt Chad still competes internationally and has won gold and silver medals at the IBJJF International Open, gold at the IBJJF American Nationals, and bronze at the IBJJF Pan Ams.
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Here is an overview of his MMA record:
| Date | Opponent | Result | Decision | Rnd | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 2013 | Andrew Yates | W | Submission (North-South Choke) | 2 | 4:09 | WSOF 6: Burkman vs. Carl |
| May 11, 2012 | Joseph Sandoval | W | Submission (North-South Choke) | 1 | 0:50 | LFC 11: Legacy Fighting Championship 11 |
| Jun 25, 2011 | Jonathan Mackles | L | Submission (Guillotine) | 1 | 0:45 | LFC: Legacy Fighting Championship 7 |
| Apr 16, 2011 | Zach Makovsky | L | TKO | 3 | 2:02 | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 41 |
| Aug 21, 2010 | Humberto Deleon | W | Decision - Split | 3 | 3:00 | Strikeforce: Houston |
| Mar 20, 2010 | Lewis McKenzie | W | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 1:46 | LP: Legacy Promotions |
| Apr 17, 2009 | Casey Erwin | W | Submission (Heel Hook) | 1 | 2:45 | BONO 19: Battle of New Orleans 19 |
| Jan 31, 2009 | Tommy Ford | W | Submission (Guillotine) | 1 | 1:20 | RC: Reality Check |
| Feb 5, 2005 | Christian Edwards | W | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 3:55 | BONO 18: Battle of New Orleans 18 |
| Dec 10, 2004 | Danny Jung | W | Submission (Armbar) | 1 | 2:30 | BONO 17: Battle of New Orleans 17 |
The Battle Within and Finding a New Mission
After the battlefields of combat Chad faced the battle at home and a war within, including the haunting specter of PTSD, anxiety, and depression nearly becoming another veteran suicide statistic. Yet, through the grace of God and amazing support of friends and family, Chad’s redemption led him to find restoration, hope, and new purpose. That purpose led to a deep burden on his heart to pay it forward, manifesting in the founding of the Mighty Oaks Foundation.
It was during this time that Robichaux won the Strikeforce fight at Toyota Center. When he returned home that night, he lay in bed contemplating his life. While the world viewed him as an unquestionable success, he knew the world was wrong.
“This thought came over me that of all the people I had blamed for everything, I was the problem. I was the common denominator,” he remembered. “My family was so devastated and I thought that if I wasn’t in their lives, it would be better for them.
For several weeks, Robichaux began contemplating suicide, at times sitting in his closet holding a Glock in one hand and a family photo in the other.
“I remember I was so mad that she had interrupted me killing myself-which sounds twisted-that I started yelling at her,” he said. “She’s not a very calm arguer, but in this moment she was, and she asked me a question that became this axis point in my life.
Her words cut and echoed in Robichaux’s mind. To be called a quitter and to know it was true was enough to create a mind-shift, and he decided in that moment to work toward putting his life back together. He began formulating a plan. He had been living a life without accountability.
Robichaux speaks to students at a convocation for Liberty University in Virginia.
When Robichaux slid a piece of paper over to him that outlined his plan to change his life, Toth didn’t even look at it. He simply slid it back over to him and told him he would fail if God was not in the plan. God was not.
He gave his life to spirituality and began healing the wounds he had suffered and those he had inflicted. He and his family reunited, and by one year’s end, he and Kathy had formed a nonprofit called Mighty Oaks Foundation to help veterans who struggle with many of the same issues he did.
Mighty Oaks Foundation
This leading non-profit organization has become a beacon of hope, providing faith-based peer led resiliency and recovery programs to military and first responder communities worldwide. Chad’s personal story was notably shared in two separate short films by I Am Second, as well as being featured in the documentaries: Never Fight Alone, Escape from Afghanistan, Send Me, and Black Rifle Coffee: Stories of Survival.
Graduates of the Mighty Oak Foundation’s program are presented with rudis swords.
“I don’t think I get the platform because of the successes I’ve had,” he said. “I think the platform I have is because I’ve been at the high and at the very low and I have felt the need to be honest about that.” He regrets that he didn’t have someone to show him how to be vulnerable when he was struggling.
Since the organization was launched 12 years ago, Robichaux has spoken to nearly half a million active duty troops. He is only one of two speakers to speak at the Marine Corps boot camps. He has donated approximately 350,000 copies of his books to troops. He has spoken before Congress numerous times in support of faith-based approaches to dealing with PTSD. His foundation has established five ranch facilities around the country to help veterans suffering from PTSD.
Approximately 4,500 have graduated from the program, including active duty military, veterans, first responders, and their spouses. These programs are conducted free of charge, with the number of graduates steadily increasing to about 1,000 per year.
Humanitarian Work
Chad's compassion and willingness to serve knows no bounds. He is also the Co-Founder of multiple non-profit coalitions and organizations focused on evacuating and recovering Americans and vulnerable people groups. In 2021, Chad notably led the effort to rescue Americans, our allies, and vulnerable individuals stranded during the US withdrawal of Afghanistan. What began as a personal quest to rescue a long-time friend and Afghan interpreter evolved into a full-fledged humanitarian operation. Under Chad's leadership, he and his team have successfully evacuated over 17,000 people from the hands of the Taliban.
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