CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
West Virginia Army National Guard Soldier and West Virginia University Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Cadet Aaron Sealey experienced a whirlwind week in Los Angeles Feb. 10-16, 2019, participating in a nationwide commercial campaign for the Army National Guard.
Sealey - a Little Hocking, Ohio, native - was encouraged to apply for the casting call by his recruiter, Staff Sgt. Jeffery Moss. Sealey thought it was just for the state, and was surprised to not only be chosen, but to hear he was going to California.
“It was definitely an experience,” he said. “California was beautiful … working withthe director was fun andriding around in Blackhawks was great.”
The group of Soldiers spent days shooting photos and avideo based a variety of missions, such as flooding and wildfire, similar to what National Guard members have been called upon for response over the past few years.
Sealey joined theWVARNG in the Simultaneous Membership Program, participating in both the Guard and WVU’s ROTC program at the same time. SMP Soldiers are paired with and mentored by a unit officer and get paid to drill once a month with their Guard unit.
Sealey is a fire control specialist with the 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery Regiment, in Morgantown. He said he enjoys the opportunity to train in a unit, something those who just enroll in ROTC don’t get a lot of experience in. While he takes training from ROTC to his unit, he can also take the training from his unit back to ROTC.
“We have just a one or two NCO’s (non-commissioned officers) in ROTC who work with us continuously,” he said. “But when I go to drill, there are 15 - they're everywhere.”
The knowledge he receives from the NCO’s and the extra training from the Guard is valuable to him as future officer, he said.
“Any time you get extra training, you’re going to get better from it,” he said.
The Army National Guard campaign featuring Sealey is expected to run nationwide in spring, 2020.