Rory J. Aylward

Rory J. Aylward started out in the film industry as the assistant to a Literary Agent on Long Island, New York. After being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Reserve National Guard, he moved to Los Angeles to try his luck in Hollywood. Offered extra work on shows like "Tour of Duty" and "China Beach" he realized there was a market for someone who could deliver background actors who knew how to march, salute, handle firearms, etc. and formed VETS Military Advisors. After making a good impression on films such as "Robert Heinlein's The Puppetmasters" and "Strange Days", he was hired by Producer Stratton Leopold as the Military Technical Advisor on Fox's "Courage Under Fire." Working for director Ed Zwick inspired him to want to work on the more creative side of the business and as he added Technical Advisor credits he also began exploring opportunities to develop and produce his own projects. Aylward put his career on hold in early 2001 when he was asked to come on temporary active duty to conduct Anti-Terrorism courses for the National Interagency Civil-Military Institute in San Luis Obispo, California. He was there on September 11th and knew that his tour would be extended indefinitely. Indeed, he stayed at NICI until he left to serve as a producer on the Hallmark Channel film "Silent Night." Afterwards he divided his time between the military and film before deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (VIII) where he served as a Civil Affairs Officer on a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Nuristan Province (the setting of the film "The Man Who Would Be King") and was awarded the Combat Action Badge. He returned from Afghanistan and was asked to help stand up a pilot program for the State Department to train civilians who would be working with the military. Aylward deployed again in the Spring of 2011 to Kunduz Province, where he served as the liaison to a German Provincial Reconstruction Team. He returned home a year later and continued to train both civilian and military audiences. He retired from the Army Reserve in 2013 after 26 years of service. Show less «