Local Marine appears in Katy Perry video

ELKO Helicopters fly overhead, the thwack of rotating blades resounding across the sand. A Marine sprints for shelter, carrying a wounded comrade over her shoulder while a director yells out commands and cameras film each action.

What would have been a decidedly normal weekend of training took an unexpected twist for Spring Creek local and U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Sara Andrae Bear, when she found herself being fireman-carried by pop star Katy Perry.

I felt so bad for her, Bear said. I think she was a little apprehensive, but she picked me up and said this is pretty good.

Bear and about 80 other Marines participated in the filming of Perrys most recent music video, Part of Me, shot over three days in February at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base in Oceanside, Calif.

In the video, Perry dumps her cheating boyfriend, then enlists in the military after seeing a bumper sticker that says, All Women Are Created Equal, Then Some Become Marines.

Filming with the Marines was an original idea of Perrys, as she told MTV News she wanted the video to represent an affirmation of strength, so I wanted to go the strongest route I ever could.

The Marines Corps was contacted, and Bear and other Marines at the base received an email asking for volunteers who were interested in being in Perrys music video.

I thought it would be a great opportunity its Katy Perry said Bear, who wasnt compensated for the filming, and gave up working time to participate.

It was really fun. ... She was nice (and) asked a lot of questions about the military, Bear added.

The Marines taught Perry how to salute, carry a rifle and perform mixed-martial arts moves before filming. Bear said Perry wanted to ensure her portrayal of a Marine was accurate and respectful.

She wanted to make sure her uniform was right, that she was saying things right, that she was doing things right, said Bear. To me thats pretty respectful.

To ensure authenticity and an accurate portrayal of Marines,! the act ivities in the video were reviewed by a public affairs officer in advance, and approved before filming commenced.

There are so many things I participated in that only I know I was a part of, said Bear.

She participated in the boot camp scene, appeared next to Perry in the pool, and crawled through the mud alongside her.

While Bear appears throughout much of the music video, the most visible scene is when she is fireman-carried by Perry.

We have a technique on how to properly pick someone up, (and) we showed her, said Bear, who said it took three or four times of filming to get what the director wanted.

Perry participated in training with service members prior to the filming and performed her own stunts, save for climbing a rope which the director worked around by clever camera angles.

Many of the activities filmed are those the Marines participate in during training and boot camp, but Bear said keeping a straight face while having a camera filming took some getting used to.

As Bear and other Marines stood on line while the drill sergeant walked up and down the row shouting, Bear had a flashback to her days at boot camp.

That was the hardest time to keep a straight face, said Bear.

Bear and the other Marines were not allowed to talk about the video until after it was released March 21.

After the video aired, Bear said Marines would watch and go, thats me!

It was a really fun experience, said Bear. Im really glad the Marine Corps gave me the opportunity to do that.