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Meet Col. Green, 375th AMW Vice Commander

  • Published
  • By Karen Petitt
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  

After 22 years in the Air Force serving in places like Argentina, Hawaii, Aruba and Germany, Col. Gregory Green arrived to the cornfields of the Midwest in July to assume duties as the new vice commander for the 375th Air Mobility Wing.

 

Though he's lived and flown all over the globe, this Effingham, Ill., native said he's glad to be back near what will always be "home," near family and old friends, where his wife, Sol, and three children--Isabel, 12, Sebastian, 10 and Diego, 7--can see where his grooming for the Air Force all began.

 

"It's great to be back near my family and at Scott where we are all making new friends and settling right in," he said.  "The people here have been great ... so friendly and welcoming. I'd almost forgotten about this Midwest hospitality."

 

He said he relishes his upbringing in central Illinois. "My parents moved to Effingham from the Chicago suburbs for jobs in the education field.  There, I did all sorts of small town things--like having a paper route--and my sister and I were big into sports. In a small school, I had the opportunity to try everything. I played drums in the band, performed in the musicals and could play sports in every season.  I played basketball, fall and spring baseball, and ran track, and my sister and I swam on the city team in the summers." 

 

Green's talent and love for baseball and track earned him athletic scholarships (he also earned academic scholarships) to a couple of Illinois universities.  But, it was the influence of his father--whose uncle was a very accomplished retired colonel in WWII whom his father respected a great deal--who suggested he consider the Air Force Academy.

 

 "I applied to appease my dad, not expecting to get in.  Like a dumb, cocky highschooler, I thought I would just turn them down if I got accepted anyway.   When people heard that I had been accepted, they congratulated me, asking me when I was leaving. Panic set in when I realized people thought I was actually going.  Luckily, when my baseball coach found out I had been accepted, he told me there's no way I could turn it down.  No one from our school had previously attended the Air Force Academy.  He said, 'USAFA is an incredible opportunity that I couldn't pass up.'  He was right."

 

His first trip to Colorado Springs and the Air Force Academy gave him a shock of what military life really meant and had him questioning his decision. 

 

"But once they cut off all my hair, I knew I couldn't go back home just yet," he said. 

 

From that moment on, he began a series of "baby steps," clearing military life hurdles that have led him to where he is today.  "I told myself I would just finish basic training, then I could join my friends at a civilian university.  I don't quit, so I wasn't going to drop out of basic cadet training.  Once I finished basic, I figured I'd do a year of school, then transfer.  By then I'd completed the toughest year, so I might as well stay another year.   And because I didn't want to be a 'quitter,' I finished the second year, and so on until I actually graduated.  Since then, I've always looked to tackle each opportunity before me instead of trying to figure out a whole career on some type of template plan.  That approach has led to many interesting and unique assignments."

 

After graduating the Air Force Academy, he spent nearly a year as a contracting officer awaiting his pilot training slot. 

 

"As an econ undergrad, I truly thought the business side of the Air Force was my calling, but a pilot slot was too good to pass up.  I'm so glad I gave flying a try." 

 

His first flying assignment took him to many places around the globe in the KC-10.  Next, he was off to Germany where he flew the C-20 aircraft in support of senior leader transportation. 

 

"That was an amazing opportunity to fly all over Europe, Africa and the Middle East," he said. "And anyone who has lived overseas will tell you that it is a cultural experience of a lifetime."  

 

Next, he spent a year in Aruba supporting counterdrug operations.  He followed that studying National Security Affairs with a Latin America focus at Naval Postgraduate School and learned Portuguese at the Defense Language Institute, both in Monterey, California.  Those educational opportunities opened the door to his secondary AFSC as a Regional Affairs Specialist for Latin America, which led to an assignment in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

 

One of his favorite assignments followed as a squadron commander at Hickam AFB, Hawaii.  Not only was he back in the senior leader transport business traveling all over the Pacific, but he also served as a leader and mentor to his squadron team.

 

 "I felt like a coach of a sports team, but our 'sport' was 'winning the game of VIP transport.'  I loved being able to individually make a difference in my team members' lives.  They are among my most cherished memories." 

 

 Most recently he was assigned in Washington, D.C., where he managed the Defense Attaché Service's Latin American portfolio.  The non-standard military path he has followed is one reason why his philosophy for success is that "you just need to work hard and bloom where you're planted. Keep your options open." 

 

He said, "While there are certain milestones that anyone in the service needs to meet to keep progressing, I don't feel it has to be the same path for everyone.   I feel fortunate in that I will be one of those old veterans who gets to tell my grandkids about a lot of cool things I got to do in the Air Force."

 

And, what makes his life in the military so meaningful, he said, is who he gets to share it with.  

 

"My family is the best part of me.  When you have children, I think it takes the selfishness out of you.  I love everything about those kids," he said. "Sol is awesome!  She really cares about what we do and is always working to make our world a better place.  She's friendly, easy going and has a genuine interest in people.  Because she didn't grow up around the military, she brings a fresh, natural perspective to caring for Airmen.  I have been so impressed with how she has embraced the military lifestyle."

 

For her part, Sol, who grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico, said she never would have predicted being a part of a military family. 

 

"It's the neatest thing to be a part of a world-wide family.  We now have friends literally all over the world," she said.  "And it was so fun and personally fulfilling to be part of so many Airmen's lives when Greg was a squadron commander.  I still keep in touch with so many of them and love to hear how they are doing.  Greg and I really connected with them.  It was such a fun time for us."

 

At 44, Green says he's still keeping his options open for where the Air Force sends him in the future, but is focused on what members of the 375th need from him now.  He said people can expect him to "lead with compassion" and he wants them to know that as he makes tough decisions, they will be made with the best interest of both the person and the Air Force in mind. 

 

He said he's impressed with the people at Scott who maintain a positive attitude and who work to make this base better than they found it. 

 

"My role is to help the commander accomplish his vision and to share in the burdens that are placed on his shoulders," he said. "That's why I feel a positive attitude is key.  It's contagious and there's every reason, despite the challenges that we have, to be upbeat about the important work we do here.  Life is too short to be pessimistic, and I'm encouraged by our team's ability to display a positive attitude as we work together to perform our mission."