In November 2005, Cpl. James D. Hamel, a Marine Corps combat correspondent with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, wrote an article at Al Asad Airbase in Iraq about all the hard work it takes to keep the KC-130Js of Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 in the air.
“Without the aircrew, no one would be able to fly,” Capt. Michael S. Roberts, a pilot with VMGR-252 told Cpl. Hamel in the article that can be found on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. “The difference between a good and bad crew is the difference between an unsuccessful or successful mission.”
On Monday, the author of that article — Cpl. Hamel — was picked by former President Donald Trump to be his running mate on the Republican ticket in November.
Sen. J.D. Vance, Ohio Republican, was born James Donald Bowman in August 1984. His parents divorced and he was later adopted by his mother’s third husband, He went by James Hamel — his stepfather’s surname — when he enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school.
After basic training, he was assigned to the public affairs section of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina.
“The enlisted aircrew is comprised of two components, crew chiefs and loadmasters. Each Marine’s job is different, and each job evolves throughout the flight,” then Cpl. Hamel wrote in his article. “While maintenance Marines on the ground ensure the planes can fly, and pilots are at the controls, it is the air crew that ensures the mission is accomplished safely and efficiently.”
Mr. Vance used the name Hamel until formally adopting the surname of his grandparents, Vance.
Sen. Vance later attended Ohio State University, where he graduated in 2009 with a degree in political science and philosophy. He later graduated from Yale Law School in 2013. One of his professors there persuaded him to write his bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which documented his hardscrabble life growing up in a dysfunctional family in southern Ohio.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.