Crutchfield earned his commission in 1982 from the
ROTC program at
Marshall University. He later earned a M.A. degree in Business Administration from
Webster University and a M.S. degree in strategic studies As a field officer, Crutchfield commanded 1st Battalion,
2nd Aviation Regiment from 1998 to 2000 before proceeding to the
Army War College to pass the bar for promotion to
colonel. He was deployed to
Afghanistan as commander of the
Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division in 2003, remaining in the region until the brigade returned to
Fort Drum in 2004. He then served as executive officer to the Deputy Commanding General and Chief of Staff,
U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command from 2004 to 2007 and then as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff,
U.S. Army Accessions Command from 2007 to 2008. After two years as chief of staff of
United States Pacific Command (USPACOM), Crutchfield was promoted to lieutenant general in a ceremony at
Fort Rucker and became deputy commander of PACOM on June 6, 2014. It was found that Crutchfield spent $3,821.61 on a 7-day trip to
Alabama en route to
Washington, D.C. "to accommodate his preference to hold his promotion ceremony at Fort Rucker" rather than his duty station at
Camp H. M. Smith,
Hawaii. The trip in question included meetings with several Fort Rucker personnel and plans for a speaking engagement at
Maxwell Air Force Base on the same day as the promotion ceremony. Crutchfield contested the findings, retorting that he was "not guilty of wasting government resources" and conducted official and "bona fide" activities on the 7-day trip. The
Department of the Army eventually cleared Crutchfield of wrongdoing and allowed him to remain as PACOM deputy commander. ==Post-retirement==