Oceaneering Veteran Spotlight Series: Greg Boyle
Oceaneering is devoted to creating a talented, diverse, and inclusive workforce. Veterans have long been a part of the DNA of our company, and we are especially proud of our employees who have served and sacrificed. The Veterans Spotlight series, presented in partnership with the Oceaneering Veterans' Network, highlights veterans’ contributions to Oceaneering and how they demonstrate our core values through their skills and experiences.
View more profiles in this series.
Greg R. Boyle is the Principal Controls Engineer for Oceaneering’s New Product Development group. Before joining Oceaneering in 2007, he served six years in the U.S. Navy and four years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
“The military gave me some of the most advanced training in the world,” Greg said. “I used that training, along with my GI Bill, to get bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. Then I applied my skills to the civilian world.”
Military service runs deep in Greg’s family—seven relatives served in three different military branches over five decades, from World War II to Operation Desert Storm. In 1982, Greg enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent over two years training to be a Nuclear Reactor Operator/Electronic Technician.
“I traveled the world and made lifelong friends. The qualities instilled in me by the military, teamwork, attention to detail, technical excellence, the ability to remain calm under pressure, and responsibility, formed a pedestal for my civilian career.”
USS Arkansas CGN-41
For over three years, Greg was stationed on the USS Arkansas (CGN-41), a Virginia-class nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser. He operated, maintained, and repaired nuclear reactors. Life on a warship meant living out of a locker only six feet tall and 12 inches wide. Prior to this, he served on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) for four months while in transit to the Arkansas.
One major event during his career was in support of Operation El Dorado Canyon (Libya’s Line of Death) when the Arkansas convoyed behind the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal. Greg also performed operations off the coast of the former Soviet Union and spent many six-month deployments patrolling the Indian Ocean.
In 1984, he learned first-hand the importance of helo egress training. Minutes after he and two others exited a helicopter, it crashed into the Indian Ocean, killing two crew members. He also witnessed a shipmate hit with 600 lb steam.
After an honorable discharge from the Navy in 1988 at the rank of Petty Officer Second Class/E5, Greg missed the camaraderie he experienced as well as the military’s well-built equipment.
In 1989, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, joining the 4th Maintenance Battalion as an Electrical Repair Specialist and Water Safety/Survival Instructor. He operated, maintained, and repaired 30,000-watt electrical generators, wired tent cities, and repaired various electrical/electronic equipment. He was honorably discharged in 1993 at the rank of Sergeant/E5.
“The reserves are a good transition point for veterans because you can have your feet in both military and civilian life,” he explained.
Greg received the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Navy Expeditionary Medal, and is a two-time recipient of the Battle Efficiency Ribbon. He is also a VFW member.
His experiences in the military have contributed to his success at Oceaneering.
“I’m big on teamwork, respecting leadership, and creating/maintaining a positive atmosphere. As a leader or a team member, if the team is tired, you must be willing to finish the work yourself,” he said.
Greg enjoys working on new designs with Oceaneering’s subject matter experts.
“Both the military and Oceaneering have diverse, smart people who offer different perspectives and solutions; it’s how we solve the unsolvable,” he explained.
Greg and his wife, Jannell, live in Temecula, California, and have two children and five grandkids.
Interested in a new career path? Visit our Careers page to search our available job opportunities.
Articles To solve the unsolvable, Oceaneering seeks out the utmost experts in their respective fields. We provide engineered services and products primarily to the offshore energy industry. Today, we also use applied technology expertise to serve the defense, entertainment, material handling, aerospace, science, and renewable energy industries. With a varied and diverse pool of expertise, Oceaneering strives to be the go-to thoughtleader in our wide-ranging on- and offshore service lines. We thrive by creating industry-changing technically creative solutions for the most complex operational challenges under water, on land, and in space. Our experts are sought out for their knowledge and experience, to shed light on the latest innovative technology and trends within the wide-ranging industries we serve. Our experts are able to speak to these subjects because they are out in the field, working shoulder-to-shoulder with our clients and associated contractors. They work closely to devise solutions to problems that couldn’t be solved otherwise. We demonstrate our value every day, striving to complete projects on-time and on-budget. Our experts have penned thousands of words on topics related to remotely operated vehicles, subsea hardware, asset integrity, flow assurance, diving, survey and mapping, vessels, well intervention, workover control systems, pipeline repair, inspection, non-destructive testing, decommissioning, renewables, umbilicals, valves, marine services, product testing and qualification, data management, vessel navigation and positioning systems, science and other research, and space systems. Our articles section shines a spotlight on our best and brightest thoughtleaders offering history, data, case studies, and even opinions on industry trends and service techniques, so that we may open a dialogue with the rest of the industry, in order to see how we can all better ourselves and come up with the latest solutions and processes yet to be created. We partner with industry publications and other newsmakers to help tell our story and those of our clients because we aim to not only solve the unsolvable but demonstrate our value and expertise as a company, every single day. We do this work with much importance placed on safety, because safety is instilled in every worker, in every region in which we do business.
Company page Since our founding in the early 1960s, Oceaneering has expanded and grown globally to service several industries such as the offshore energy industry, defense, entertainment, material handling, aerospace, science, and renewable energy industries. In 1964, Mike Hughes and Johnny Johnson formed a Gulf of Mexico diving company called World Wide Divers. The company grew in response to increasing demand for their services and in 1969 merged with two other diving companies to form Oceaneering International, Inc. To solve the toughest challenges, we do things differently, creatively, and smarter. As your trusted partner, our unmatched experience and truly innovative portfolio of technologies and solutions give us the flexibility to adapt and evolve, regardless of market conditions. Our mission is to solve the unsolvable. We thrive by creating industry-changing technically creative solutions for the most complex operational challenges under water, on land, and in space. Our five core values establish a common culture and demonstrate what is most important for us as a company. Since the beginning, the company has transformed from a small regional diving company into a global provider of engineered products and services. Today, we develop products and services for use throughout the lifecycle of an offshore oilfield, from drilling to decommissioning. We operate the world's premier fleet of work class ROVs. Additionally, we are a leader in offshore oilfield maintenance services, umbilicals, subsea hardware, and tooling. We also serve the aerospace, defense, and theme park industries. Underpinning everything we do, safety is not only the foundation of our core values, but it is vital to our unmatched performance record and company culture. The industries we serve are as diverse as they are complex. Whether we are engineering deepwater umbilicals or developing robotics for aerospace applications, the safety and health of our employees, vendors, and customers is an integral part of our day-to-day business. If we are working, then our responsibility is to be working safely. Since our inception in 1964, we have placed a high value on employee safety—from diving services and subsea inspection to vessel-based installation operations. We have and will continue to evolve not only our health, safety, and environmental (HSE) processes, but those of the industries in which we work. Although we have been fatality-free since 1999, our HSE journey goes beyond statistics. As our portfolio of services has grown, we have continued to prioritize and advance our approach to HSE.
Trade Shows Oceaneering is a global company, spanning several industries such as the offshore energy industry, defense, entertainment, material handling, aerospace, science, and renewable energy industries. Because our work is global, we strive to showcase our talent, expertise, technology and services worldwide at several important and high-profile trade shows per year. At Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, as well as European-centric trade shows like Offshore Northern Seas (ONS) and Offshore Europe, Oceaneering displayed a touch screen that allows users to bring our technologies and services to life with in-depth facts and figures, and informative videos. Another highlight of our conference stand is the live, mobile mission control center, which provides a look at our collaborative and operational onshore base, supporting all kinds of operations both on- and offshore, topside and subsea. The MSC allows you to optimize resources, hence reducing cost, lowering HSE risk, and lowering emissions to the environment. Trade Shows allow Oceaneering the ability to meet with the public and potential clients to give them more in-depth knowledge about our specialized tools and services. By meeting with Oceaneering’s subject matter experts about our offerings, clients and potential clients can get an open window into the types of services Oceaneering can provide. Oceaneering’s expertise covers the spectrum from remotely operated vehicles, subsea hardware, asset integrity, flow assurance, diving, survey and mapping, vessels, well intervention, workover control systems, pipeline repair, inspection, non-destructive testing, decommissioning, entertainment systems, renewables, umbilicals, valves, marine services, product testing and qualification, data management, vessel navigation and positioning systems, science and other research, and even space systems. Our experts are sought out for their knowledge and experience, to shed light on the latest innovative technology and trends within the wide-ranging industries we serve. They work closely to devise solutions to problems that couldn’t be solved otherwise. We demonstrate our value every day, striving to complete projects on-time and on-budget. Trade shows, including smaller, local meet-and-greets, help tell our story and showcase the expertise and innovation behind our tools, technology, and services. We aim to not only solve the unsolvable but demonstrate our value and expertise as a company, every single day, on every single job, all across the world. We hope to serve you soon.
Brochures Our brochures section allows users to read more in-depth about our specialized tools and services that span several industries, such as the offshore energy industry, defense, entertainment, material handling, aerospace, science, and renewable energy industries. By reading more about our offerings, clients and potential clients can get an open window into the types of services Oceaneering can provide. Oceaneering’s expertise covers the spectrum from remotely operated vehicles, subsea hardware, asset integrity, flow assurance, diving, survey and mapping, vessels, well intervention, workover control systems, pipeline repair, inspection, non-destructive testing, decommissioning, entertainment systems, renewables, umbilicals, valves, marine services, product testing and qualification, data management, vessel navigation and positioning systems, science and other research, and even space systems. Our Brochure section features a searchable web database, where users don’t have to simply scroll to find the items for which they are searching. Simply enter your search terms, and select either “exact” or “search title” to help get you closer to relevant technology and services from Oceaneering that can help you solve your needs. Users can also filter their searches by category. Oceaneering offers 40 categories and sub categories to help users find what they need even faster. With a database of nearly 200 brochures, we aim to make the search process as easy as possible so we can get in touch faster to provide you with top-notch service and world-class expertise. Our experts are sought out for their knowledge and experience, to shed light on the latest innovative technology and trends within the wide-ranging industries we serve. They work closely to devise solutions to problems that couldn’t be solved otherwise. We demonstrate our value every day, striving to complete projects on-time and on-budget. Our brochures help to tell our story and showcase the expertise and innovation behind our tools, technology, and services. We aim to not only solve the unsolvable but demonstrate our value and expertise as a company, every single day, on every single job. We do this work with much importance placed on safety, because safety is instilled in every worker, in every region in which we do business. We hope to serve you soon.