Reservists star in TV campaign (From Andover Advertiser)

Reservists star in TV campaign

10:00am Sunday 24th February 2013 in News

TERRITORIAL Army reservists based at Middle Wallop have helped launch a military advertising campaign.

Members of 655 Squadron Army Air Corps, based at Middle Wallop, were involved in television event TA Live, which saw military operations in Afghanistan aired live.

The idea of the ground-breaking event was to encourage more people to join the Territorial Army.

Live links to Afghanistan captured TA soldiers carrying out their everyday duties working alongside regular soldiers.

In the one-minute adverts, viewers were taken directly to the front line to see how people with similar lives to theirs are serving their country as volunteers.

Alongside the footage, representatives from all of the south east based TA units manned the TA Live stand and spoke to the general public about their lives as reservists and the experiences they have had in service.

Among them was Air Trooper Leo Domeisen, 26, from Middle Wallop, who has been with 655 Squadron for 18 months and hopes to deploy to Afghanistan at the end of 2013.

The event, at Gunwharf Quays, in Portsmouth, on Saturday, was one of seven big screen launches at major UK cities.

Like many other TA units across the country, 655 Squadron has organised its own TA Live event backing the campaign at the Army Air Corps Museum on March 5, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

TA Live will continue to promote the TA during the next 12 months through a range of activities and events where potential recruits can find out more about it and talk to its soldiers.

The adverts were also broadcast live on ITV over the weekend and will continue to run on television for the next two weekends.

The TA is to increase its numbers to 30,000 by 2018.

Major General Ranald Munro, Deputy Commander Land Forces (Reserves) said: “TA Live is an incredibly exciting opportunity to bring the TA to life and show just what a TA soldier does on the ground.”