Some Wright State University students who also serve in the National Guard have been activated to help their communities during this trying time.
What activation consists of
“When I was informed that my unit was requesting volunteers to help at the food bank, I was excited to know that I would be aiding my community,” said Jeremy Massie, a Wright State student and active National Guard member as a specialist (E4). “The National Guard is helping across the state, and I am lucky enough to be working in my own city,”
The National Guard has been working at food banks, packaging and distributing food, taking on medical missions, prison missions, and personal protection equipment transport missions, according to Lt. Kevin Livingston, public affairs officer for Task Force 37.
“We’re proud to see our soldiers volunteering. It’s very important to remember that we didn’t compel these folks to come in on orders,” said Livingston.
“We sent out the call and said ‘hey, we’ve been asked to do this mission, is there anyone out there who wants to come on and help us out?’ said Livingston, “So it really speaks to the character of these guys and gals that they’re willing to sideline their own responsibilities, their own classwork and their time with their families in order to serve the public.”
How activation has affected being a student
The National Guard is working hard to accommodate and be flexible with students who are also serving in the National Guard.
They’re trying to help students maintain their academics while also serving by offering flexible workdays to students who have assignments and tests due on typical workdays, according to Livingston.
“They’re out here serving their friends and neighbors and the communities they call home. Most of them are driving within 25 minutes of their homes to do these missions, whether it’s the food bank mission or one of the medical missions or prison missions or the PPE transport missions,” said Livingston. “It’s great that we have them and we look forward to having them serve with us as long as these orders last.”
Ivan Mallett, a Wright State student who is also currently an active member of the National Guard, said that serving hasn’t affected his schoolwork.
“The National Guard has been activated to package and distribute food to the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Mallett.
Erik Austin, another WSU student currently serving as a member of the National Guard as a cadet, also feels his classes haven’t been negatively impacted since they’re all online during this time.
“We go out and serve the community. We’ve got to help people, serve the community, and do what we signed up to do,” said Austin.
Massie does feel that his activation affects his classes because he has more pressure on his time and has less time to study and prepare for exams.
“It has been very eye opening to see how much the need has increased since the economic tolls of this pandemic began to take effect,” said Massie. “While these effects are expected to last long after the threat of the virus has decreased, the amount of generosity and selflessness that I have witnessed since I began working at the food bank has assured me that we will all make it out of this better people.”
However, he considers it a relatively small issue and is proud of the work they’re doing and feels like he is making a difference in the community.
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