100th Operations Group gains new commander

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The 100th Operations Group welcomed its new commander July 17 when Col. Creg D. Paulk took the reins. 

He joins RAF Mildenhall from Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Colo., where he was the command director for NORAD. 

The colonel's first assignment was at Mather Air Force Base, Calif., as a navigator trainee, after he joined the Air Force in May 1986. Following that, he was stationed at RAF Lakenheath in the 494th Tactical Fighter Squadron, flying F-111s as a weapons systems officer from 1987 to 1990, before going to pilot training. 

"I decided to pursue a commission when I was going through college at Florida State University - I thought it would be fun and adventurous to fly airplanes," Colonel Paulk said. "When I went to pilot training, it was like a clean slate - I graduated from there in 1991 and got assigned to a KC-135 at Fairchild Air Base, Wash." 

The 100th OG's newest leader has many degrees, including a bachelor's degree in physics from Florida State University; a master's degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University, Spokane, Wash.; and a master's degree in national security studies from the National War College at Fort McNair, Washington D.C. 

He said he considers his time as the commander of the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron as the accomplishment for which he is most proud. Colonel Paulk said that it's with pride that he remembers the around-the-clock air refueling support his squadron provided during the fight for Fallujah and during the first democratic elections for the new government of Iraq. 

The Tallahassee, Fla., native said while there are some differences between when he joined the military and Airmen joining today, there are also some similarities. 

"The reasons people join are the same - they want to serve their country and seek adventures. It's what we ask them to do and what we provide them to do it with that's different," he said. "We obviously have advances in technology that make everything happen more quickly, and we have them focused on fighting a different kind of war than what the Cold War was when I joined." 

Colonel Paulk said that during his career there's one main thing he's learned.
"If you work hard at becoming very good at your job, you'll get rewarded personally and professionally," he said. 

But taking time to do other things besides work is also important to him. When he gets the chance, the colonel said he likes to play golf, read history books and play with his children. 

His leadership philosophy for his Airmen is simple. 

"I expect them to employ the training they've been given, to work hard and to embody the Air Force Core Values," the colonel said. "In return, what they can expect from me is to make sure they are trained and equipped to carry out what we ask them to do, to take great care to support their families, and to justly recognize them for it."