JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
We sat down with Colonel Gregory Beaulieu, 633rd Air Base Wing commander, to get more insight into who he is and his views on being in the military. He comes to us from a customer service background as a Force Support Squadron officer; he is all about people.
Beaulieu was born in an Air Force environment. Both of his parents were medics, and he was born here at Langley Air Force Base.
After graduating from Florida State University in 1999, Beaulieu commissioned into the Air Force. He has worn various hats over the past 22 years, from base level up to Headquarters Air Force. His most recent assignment was serving as the 325th Mission Support Group commander at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, supporting recovery efforts from Hurricane Michael.
In our interview, we got to learn more about Beaulieu as he settles into the commander’s chair.
Can you tell us about your family?
I have the best family in the world. I met my wife Amy at Florida State University. She's a pediatric nurse, and I love what she does. I have two children, Ava, who's turning 15, and my almost 13-year-old son, Owen. Our newest addition to the family is our 65-pound Golden Doodle, Lola. She brings so much life to the family, and we love her to death.
What made you want to join the Air Force?
I'll be honest with you, I went to Florida State University (the greatest football program in the country), and I decided I wanted to go to law school. I signed up for the Law School Admission Test, and maybe I didn't study as much as I wanted to, so my results came back lower than I was hoping. I walked over to the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and asked what programs they had. They put me in a two-year program to join the Air Force.
I also came from an Air Force family. Both my parents were in the Air Force, so it ran through my blood. I'm 100% glad I made that choice to join.
What's the best piece of advice you have received?
I was taught early and often to just be yourself and bloom where you're planted. Just do your job. Don't worry about what your next job might be or where you're going, do the best that you can where you currently are. I think every Airman, no matter what job you have, should do it to the best of their abilities. Supervisors, chiefs, commanders; they'll recognize your talents, and they'll place you where you need to go next.
One of your popular sayings is to job-out. What does that mean?
What I expect of Airmen is pretty simple; job out, work out and speak out. Just come to work every day and focus on your job. Whatever your job is, do it to the utmost of your abilities. Work out: everyone needs to get to the gym. We need to be the four pillars of resiliency. Working out is different for every individual, so find what that is to you and do it. Lastly, speak out. When I talk about speak out, there are two types of speaking out. One is we need to speak out when we see something that's wrong. There's still too much sexual and racial harassment in our Air Force, and I won't tolerate it. Speak out is also that I value everyone's opinion. What I do well is bring people to the table. All the diversity that we bring around the table is what ensures mission success.
What do you do as a Force Support Officer?
I started off my career as a personnel officer. When I was a captain, we merged with manpower, so I became a personnel and manpower officer. A few short years later, they added services which is what we know now as force support. I love taking care of Airmen and their families. I get up every day and figure out how I can help Airmen do better. I love what I do.
Have you ever deployed?
I've been on three deployments. My first one was to Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras as the deputy J1, and I absolutely loved it. There's a fantastic mission there. My second deployment was to Kabul, Afghanistan, at the International Security Assistance Force headquarters. That one was scary, to be honest. A lot of times, there were Improvised Explosive Devices all over the roads. Fortunately, my team and I made it back home. My last deployment was to Bagram, Afghanistan. I got the opportunity to command the 455th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron, so I was responsible for taking care of Airmen.
What's your sign?
I'm a Leo. I honestly don't know what that means, but I'm told that's what I am. Hopefully, that's a good thing. It's someone who loves people and is a great human being.
Would you rather be a cowboy or wizard?
Straight up, a wizard. I'm a Harry Potter fan. I even own a Harry Potter wand. I don't know if that's silly. My family actually got a chance to see where Harry Potter was filmed in London. We've been to Universal Studios a few times. Wizardry is cool.
What's your favorite core value?
My favorite core value is excellence in all we do. We all raised our right hand to join the Air Force, so service before self comes with that. Integrity is just a key part of being in the military. Excellence is what makes our Air Force the greatest Air Force in the world.
Beaulieu’s three priorities of defending the joint base, supporting the fight, and taking care of Airmen, will shape his time as commander of the 633rd Air Base Wing. He will oversee a base that supports more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel and provides services to more than 200,000 military members, dependents, civilians and retirees, and he is eager to learn about how to make the Airmen and Soldiers of Joint Base Langley more successful, on and off duty.