Col. Dr. Jeff Beery promoted to Squadron commander

By Caitlin Ryan
The Highland County Press

Hillsboro physician and Highland County Coroner Jeffrey Beery has taken on another position, as he recently assumed command as Squadron commander of the 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron (445th ASTS).

Beery, a colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve, assumed the position of squadron commander in a ceremony Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Colonel Mike Major, Vice Wing Commander 445 AW, presided over the ceremony. Beery said that there “were several hundred people in attendance, including my current squadron members, pilots and members from my former medical squadron.”

“It was exhilarating,” Beery said. “There were a lot of people there, and everyone sang the Air Force song. It was emotional at times.”

The youngest of eight children, Beery said that four of his siblings, Julie, Janet, Leafee and Jim, were able to attend the ceremony. Dr. Beery’s wife, Dr. Tara Beery, and their children, Jeffrey and Mary, accompanied him.

Other relatives traveled to Mowrystown to support local attorney and Hillsboro law director Fred Beery, who was the grand marshal of their holiday parade.

“It was a pretty good day for Beery boys,” Beery said. “I’m confident that my deceased brother, Jon, was the only family to attend both, and I suspect God required him to watch out for both little brothers that day.”

Beery, who finished his doctoral training in 1992, has been involved with the military for his entire career. He began his service with the Army National Guard in 1987, where he served until 1996, receiving two Army Commendation Medals, four Army Overseas Ribbons and an Army Achievement Medal. 

Since 1996, Beery, a Hillsboro High School graduate, has been in the Air Force Reserve. He completed the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine in 1998. He is a three-time recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, a four-time recipient of the Air Force Achievement Medal and was awarded the U.S. Public Health Service Commendation Ribbon in 2002.

Beery began serving as a general physician with the unit, conducting physicals. He then advanced to the position of flight surgeon, where he began performing physicals on pilots and participating in flying missions, a role he held for 18 years. Beery was named Senior FAA Medical Examiner in 1999 and was also promoted to Chief of Aerospace Medicine in 2012.

In his new role as squadron commander, Beery said that he will be accepting new responsibilities.

“The squadron has a mission in wartime to treat and stage the casualty collection to decide who flies back on the plane and who gets treated in theater,” Beery said. “Our peacetime mission is to train for that wartime mission, primarily, and to offer assistance in other ways and activities as needed.”

Beery said that he will be taking the lead as commander, as he will be in charge of overall operations for his squadron, which consists of “very capable doctors and nurses who are experts in their fields.”

Beery said he originally joined the military in the late 1980s because of the conditions in the world. “I was afraid of the Russians and the communist threat,” Beery said. “I wanted to do something to curb that.”

Beery joked that he was “corrupted” by a local dentist, the late Dr. Glenn Lucas, who encouraged him to join the Air Force.

Lucas was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve, where he served for 20 years.

“My army unit in Baltimore cut back in the mid-90s,” Beery said. “Dr. Lucas invited me to look at serving at Wright-Patterson as a flight surgeon.”

Beery has not slowed his military service for a number of reasons, including the camaraderie he feels with his “colleagues in uniform.”

“It’s kind of hard to explain the closeness you feel toward those you work with in uniform,” Beery said. “It makes you want to keep serving. I think it’s the idea of the role in the preservation of freedom and the battle against evil … it makes you feel especially close to your colleagues in uniform.”

As the father of a 12-year-old son and infant daughter, Beery’s goal is to “protect the innocent.”

“The first thing I ask every person in the squadron to do is to bring in photos of their babies and families and tape them on the door of my office so I can be reminded of that fight to protect innocent lives around the world,” Beery said.

Beery’s ceremony was held the day before Pearl Harbor Day, which he said was fitting.

“The idea of readiness is really paramount in the military,” Beery said. “Any given day can be the next Pearl Harbor. It’s up to each individual in the military to be ready at a moment’s notice to fight to defend their country.”

During the ceremony, Beery addressed the crowd and discussed readiness, his father’s experiences in World War II and the importance of the Constitution. 

“The importance of the Constitution in the spread of freedom around the world cannot be overstated,” Beery said.

“Humanity has lived under a conquest mentality for thousands of years, but the inspired words of the Constitution have fought against it. The Constitution has allowed people to enjoy prosperity, freedom and entrepreneurship.”

Beery said that this latest promotion came as a surprise.

“I never really thought about it as a possibility, but the wing commander called me and asked me to do that job,” Beery said.

Beery added that he attributes the honor to his faith.

“I have been blessed with advancement and opportunity beyond my wildest dreams,” Beery said. “I believe that this is simply because I have prayed.

“Flying can be scary, and out of fear, I began immediately to do Hail Marys when the flights were nerve-racking. This has now spilled over into a more deep devotion to prayer to include a daily Bible reading, daily Rosary, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, wearing of a Saint Michael and Saint Cupertino medals under my uniform and regular thanks to the Guardian Angel of the Air Force Reserve.

“These prayers have given me the ability, from God, to accomplish things that would be impossible on my own.”