J.D. Vance Served in the Marines in an Unexpected Role

The running mate to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was announced on July 15, 2024. Surprising many, the GOP leader selected J.D. Vance, first-term Ohio Senator and best-selling author.

One aspect of Vance's career that is impressing many voters is that the 39-year-old served in the Marines, making him the first military veteran on a major ticket seeking the top jobs in the land since John McCain ran for POTUS in 2008. Vance is also the first former enlisted individual to seek America's votes for one of the highest offices since Al Gore was on the ticket 24 years ago.

Vance, who was born James D. Hamel, was previously a Marine Corps combat correspondent with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, per The Washington Times. Indeed, he was deployed as a combat correspondent from 2003 to 2007.

The would-be VP has written extensively about his time in the Marines, including covering the subject in his bestselling tome, Hillbilly Elegy. In the book, which was turned into a movie, Vance wrote, “The Marine Corps taught me how to live like an adult.”

Vance also wrote about his time in Iraq for the military, saying about his role in a PR capacity, "I was lucky to escape any real fighting but which affected me deeply nonetheless."

Previously, Vance said he'd been angry about growing up poor, and there were so many other things he felt were unfair about his life. But upon seeing a combat zone in Iraq, the now-vet wrote, "I began to appreciate how lucky I was: born in the greatest country on earth, every modern convenience at my fingertips, supported by two loving hillbillies, and part of a family that, for all its quirks, loved me unconditionally."

The Republican's 2016 essay is especially insightful now that he is running on the Trump ticket: "The experience taught me a valuable lesson: that I could do it. I could work twenty-hour days when I had to. I could speak clearly and confidently with TV cameras shoved in my face. I could stand in a room with majors, colonels, and generals and hold my own. I could do a captain’s job even when I feared I couldn’t."

Trump's VP pick was of course a very hotly-anticipated decision. Not surprisingly, the former president announced the news on Truth Social, writing, “after lengthy deliberation and thought," that he'd made the choice for VP because he is "the best person suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States.”

There are many theories about why Trump landed on Vance as his running mate, including that he will shore up votes in the Midwest, a potential trouble zone for the former Commander-in-Chief.

The two men also align on many issues. What role did Vance's military experience play in Trump's decision, since it's well known that the businessman did not serve? For now, that isn't being discussed.