Camp Shelby is one of the largest military training sites in the nation and the largest state-funded training site, and McComb native Greg Michel is over it all.
Michel, a colonel in the Mississippi Army National Guard, assumed command of the sprawling, 134,820-acre base south of Hattiesburg in April.
“It ain’t nothing a guy from McComb can’t handle,” he quipped.
All jokes aside, Michel has a history of leadership that’s helped him get where he is today.
Michel’s military service spans 27 years in the Army National Guard.
He served one tour in Iraq as an executive officer for the McComb-based 155th Infantry Battalion and worked in Washington, D.C., as the national strength manager for nationwide Army National Guard recruitment efforts.
As chief of the Army National Guard Department of Personnel in Jackson, Michel managed personnel readiness response, including strength management, medical readiness and solider and family services for those serving in the Mississippi National Guard.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to work in a lot of different jobs,” he said. “I cut my teeth with 18 years in various assignments with the 155th Brigade Combat Team. I’ve had assignments in strength management, personnel and now this assignment as commander. All of those positions have certainly prepared me for the challenges here.”
Michel said that as commander of the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the facility and providing training resources for all components of the Department of Defense and soliders around the world.
As if that isn’t enough, Camp Shelby presents an entire list of challenges resulting from a decreased rate in deployment.
Up until this last year, there were more than 200,000 soliders to go through Camp Shelby in preparation for their final training and certifications before deploying overseas.
“With that came a lot of resourcing and a lot of people working on the ground,” Michel said, adding that since deployment has slowed down, a new set of challenges has risen.
“The challenge is the continuing momentum of Camp Shelby in the midst of much less resources,” he said, adding that an expected 80,000 troops are scheduled to train at Shelby by the end of this fiscal year.
“We’re still doing a lot of things with a lot less people,” he said.
Michel, a Parklane Academy graduate, added that a positive about working with the people at Camp Shelby is that they know the challenges and work to solve them, and he takes these new responsibilities with honor.
“This is a position I’m very honored and humbled to have,” he said.
Michel said he doesn’t know where his career will go from here, but he doesn’t spend much time wondering about it.
“My focus right now is to be the best commander I can be at Camp Shelby, and as long as my services are required by those I work for, then I’m going to keep giving it my best,” he said.
Michel may not be certain about his next position or location, but he is sure of one thing — his home is McComb.
“McComb will always be my home and when I finally do retire, I plan on coming back,” Michel said. “I love the people, I love my home and that’s where my roots are. My wife is from McComb and that’s home for us.”
