Submitted photo
David Sheely Sr. of Mineral Ridge served in the Army National Guard’s 838th Military Police Company during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Years after his grandfather and father were in the U.S. Army, David Sheely Sr. joined the same military branch.

His two sons also followed that path.

The lifelong Mineral Ridge resident said, “I always thought about it, and I wanted to do it. I just wanted to further my education in law enforcement and in life experience.”

Working as a deputy sheriff with the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office at that time, he made the change to military life in 1997 and joined the Ohio National Guard’s 838th Military Police Company.

“I wanted to (join that branch) because I lived here in Mineral Ridge and the 838th Military Police Armory was in Youngstown. So, that’s where I went and that’s where I stayed. I could have transferred to different parts of the state, but I never did,” Sheely, 57, said.

His Army basic training took place at the now closed Fort McClellan in Alabama. Based on his background, it’s not surprising that his duties gravitated toward the military police (MP).

“In the sheriff’s department I was a defensive tactics instructor. In the Army, I was a combatives instructor,” he said. “Military training was a lot different because you didn’t just train as a police officer on the base. It’s called Garrison and Field. Field is you go out and do things like personal security details for generals and a lot of higher up people. The president has the Secret Service. You got a big general there, a four-star general, his secret service is mostly MPs, and they surround him. They do the security.

“I want to say that MP means ‘multi-purpose’ because you can do so many different things — crowd control, building searches…I was trained in a lot of different fields.”

Sheely was discharged two years later because of a “family hardship” request. He needed to raise his two sons after his father died and his mother was unable to take responsibility.

Following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, he reenlisted in the National Guard and eventually was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, as part of the Army. He was stationed there for 11 months.

“My children were older and there wasn’t so much complication in my family,” he said. “I was at Bagram Air Base for four months, doing a detail that was classified. Then, I was at Camp Eggers in the city of Kabul, doing multiple things. If it was not base security, we’d go out and do different missions, whether it was to go to the (American) Embassy and pick up a general and bring him back to the base or take him to a flight where he could fly out from Chinooks and Blackhawks (helicopters), and they’re going somewhere else.

“So, I did a lot of security for higher up people. President Obama came there, and the MPs had to go out and do security with the Secret Service when he was there. I got to meet him for a brief second.”

With Sheely’s influence, his son, David Jr., joined the Ohio National Guard’s 838th Military Police Company and eventually was deployed to Afghanistan at the same time as his father.

The military’s Sole Survivor Policy (aka the Sullivan Act, named after the death of the five Sullivan brothers in World War II) prohibits the last surviving member of a family from serving in combat zones if another immediate family member has been killed in service.

“We could not go on a mission together. There were times I had some downtime when I was in Bagram and he would have downtime, too. We would get to hang out. They had stuff you could do, go and work out at the gym, stuff like that,” Sheely said. “When I was in Camp Eggers, I got to see him twice. He came down on a mission with some generals, did security for them, and when they got dropped off there, then the MPs could go do what they want. So, we’d eat lunch together.”

Recalling his military time in Afghanistan, Sheely said, “I met a lot of good people there and I felt I did my part. Even if a lot of people say we shouldn’t have been there, I did what my country asked me to do. It’s a third world country. If people would see how people live over there, how they act and the things they do, I believe they’d appreciate our country a little more.”

After 13 years as an MP in the National Guard, Sheely retired as an E6 Staff Sergeant with an honorable discharge. His middle son, Travis, who also joined the Ohio National Guard’s 838th Military Police Company, was deployed to Afghanistan at the same time as his older brother.

“They just wanted to do everything dad had done,” he said.

With only 30 days to adjust to civilian life, he returned to work for the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office. Sheely admitted that wasn’t enough time for him to transition from having to be alert at all times in a foreign land to living in America again.

“When you first come home and try to drive, you’re just discombobulated. You don’t drive over there like you drive here. Everything’s different. So, that’s still kind of under your belt, and it makes you very irritated. You just watch for everything,” Sheely said.

After 20 years with the sheriff’s office, Sheely retired and now works with the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars). After joining the organization, he rose to his current position, Commander of Niles VFW 2074, in 2021.

In June, he became Commander of VFW District 8, which is made up of more than two dozen VFW posts across four counties — Trumbull, Mahoning, Summit and Portage.

“I feel that I’m serving in a capacity now that I served before. Now, I’m just helping other veterans and that’s what I like to do. It gives me my purpose. We make them safe. They get opportunities they deserve. Any kind of issues they need, we find ways to get it for them,” Sheely said. “The VFW is not just a place to go drink beer. The VFW is a lot larger than this. I was going to the district meetings, and I started seeing what the VFW was really doing, how they’re out helping veterans and different veteran organizations, National Home, where veterans live until they get back on their feet, help veterans go to different rehabs that they need, different suicide prevention. The VFW is pushing for so much legislation that helps veterans.”

Just like his time as a sheriff’s deputy and with the Army’s military police, Sheely always found himself in a position of leadership. It’s what he continues to do now even when he’s not wearing a uniform.

David Sheely Sr.

AGE: 57

RESIDENCE: Mineral Ridge

SERVICE BRANCH: Ohio National Guard’s 838th Military Police Company

MILITARY HONORS: Afghan Campaign Medal with the Star, Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Meritorious Service and National Defense Medal

OCCUPATION: Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office

FAMILY: sons, David Jr., Travis and Michael