A sense of duty and service was ignited in Roper’s Aaron Cole Spruill from a young age. As a junior firefighter in the Roper Volunteer Fire Department, Spruill's passion for serving others only grew stronger, ultimately leading him to enlist in the United States Marine Corps.

The son of John and Terri Spruill, Aaron cultivated a desire for public service, becoming part of the Roper fire division as early as 15 years old.

“I joined up when I was a teenager, around 15 or 16 years old,” he says proudly. “I was a junior firefighter and I was out there, participating in just about every call we got.”

After graduating from The NERSBA Early College in 2021, he joined the Marine Corp, a decision that was motivated by a desire to share in his family’s valor and become all that he could be as one of America’s finest.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Spruill says. “My grandfather, he’s passed away now, but he was in the Army and my great uncle was in the Army back during Vietnam. But I think I hold the distinction of being the first in my family to join the Marine Corps. I wanted to do something a little different and I wanted to be the best, which is what they always advertise, so I joined up.”

Significantly, he would not join the Armed Forces alone, getting his friend and fellow Roper Volunteer firefighter Osbaldo Lugo, to join the military at the same time.

The two friends would later find themselves staying in the same location for a time but their paths would diverge not long after.

“I joined up during COVID, so we spent the first two weeks, without phones, cooped up in a Jacksonville Florida hotel room, kinda going crazy if I’m being honest,” he laughs. “It’s funny. Lugo and I signed up together but he actually got COVID while we in the hotel. So he got held back for quite some time. He went on to become a combat engineer and I went infantry, so we ended up getting split up anyway, which is unfortunate...”