Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Dakota Helvie | Spc. Aalayah Johnson, was attending Kansas State University when she was mobilized to...... read more read more
The National Guard is a unique military component with both a state and a federal mission. Our Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen come from all walks of life and are ready to respond at a moment’s notice to support communities across Kansas. Guardsmen have been mobilized to support the state’s COVID-19 response in a variety of capacities. One of those Soldiers, Spc. Aalayah Johnson, was attending Kansas State University when she was mobilized to support the response. In her military job, Johnson serves as a fire control specialist with the 130th Field Artillery Brigade, Manhattan.
With the pandemic Johnson noticed an immediate impact on her studies.
“The pandemic affected the way I was going to school, converting from in-person to online,” Johnson said. “The workload is very intense and I will be graduating in December with a life science degree.”
Johnson’s current mission is with the Million Meals that packages and distributes food to food banks across Kansas.
“As of right now we have produced over five million meals to help our citizens,” Johnson said. “It allows us to give back to the communities impacted by this pandemic.”
Since March, over 600 Guardsmen have been mobilized to assist with the COVID-19 response. Their missions have included N95 mask fittings, mobile testing sites, personal protection equipment transportation, food distribution, sample testing transportation, food pantries and food packaging.
“We support our communities,” Johnson said. “They know that we are here to assist with this mission and any others that we are mobilized for.”
Johnson credits her strong Guard leadership for their support for helping her obtain her education goals. Receiving 100 percent tuition assistance was a major benefit for her and she encourages potential recruits to join the Guard.
“I joined the Guard to assist with school, it’s the reason I am able to afford it and not have debt,” Johnson said. “It can be a struggle to find a way to balance a career and get an education, but I will have no debt when I leave school and that is a relief.”
For new recruits to the Kansas National Guard, Johnson encouraged them to work hard, set goals and know where and what they want to do with their future.
“My advice to those who want to join is if you want very little to no debt from attending school, a part time adventure and something to do outside of your normal life, you need to have a strong mindset to succeed, but it can happen,” Johnson said.
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2020 12:30 |
| Story ID: | 375501 |
| Location: | TOPEKA, KS, US |
| Hometown: | MANHATTAN, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Forging a path to success during Kansas National Guard’s COVID-19 response – Part 3, by SFC Dakota Helvie, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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