Rage with the Gorillas: Lt. Col. John Green

  • Published
  • By Airman Christian Corley
  • 33rd Fighter Wing

Meet U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John Green, director of operations with the 58th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

Green hails from West Chester, Ohio, and attended the Air Force Academy in 2002.

“I grew up around Air Force bases, so from a young age, I knew I wanted to be a pilot,” said Green. “I was graduating high school after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, so that motivated me to join the military.”

When it comes to his job, Green emphasizes the importance of work and life balance.

“The military asks a lot of individuals whether it is long hours, [temporary duties] or deployments,” said Green. “It is important to take the time to take care of yourself, family, and to respect the time of all of the people that you work with.”

Green traveled to Wisconsin with the 58th FS to participate in exercise Northern Lightning.

“This is an amazing opportunity to bring students and execute a large force exercise where they have an opportunity to fly with F-16s, F-22s, Marine F-35s, T-38s and Mirage F-1s,” said Green. “During these exercises, there are over 30 airplanes fighting each other, and it is a great experience seeing the students thrive in these missions.”

Outside of work, Green enjoys going to the beach and hiking with his family.

“I have been very lucky in my career and would encourage everyone on the fence with joining to give it serious consideration,” said Green. “It is an amazing opportunity to see the world as I have lived in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Also, I think the military is an amazing team effort. Everyone contributes to mission success and without each of the shops, we would not be the greatest Air Force in the world.”