Vance's military service (under different name) was as a journalist, a profession reviled by magas

[Bernardo de La Paz]

Vance did serve in Iraq but not combat.

After graduating from Middletown High School in 2003,[10] Vance enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was deployed to Iraq as a combat correspondent for six months in late 2005.[11][12] There, he was assigned to the Public Affairs section of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. -- Wikipedia

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/jd-vance-marine-veteran/

His awards included several decorations that would be typical of a Marine with a clean service record and time in service similar to Vance, including the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

J.D. Vance, who was then known as Cpl. James D. Hamel

[FakeNoose]

1. Interesting - I wasn't aware that "JD Vance" is not his birth name

[Hugin]

2. Neither was I...

I wonder why he changed it?

On edit:

“As an adult, Vance decided to honor his maternal grandparents by legally adopting their surname when he married his wife, Usha, in 2014, becoming James Vance.”

From USA Today.

Still not really an explanation other than Vance may have sounded “cooler”.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Vance is his third name: "James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman; August 2, 1984)" . . . .nt

[hlthe2b]

9. So, where did "Hamel" come from?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

35. Stepfather

His parents divorced when he was a toddler. Shortly afterward, Bowman was adopted by his mother's third husband, Bob Hamel, and had his name changed to James David Hamel.[3][4]

[Diamond_Dog]

8. Lots of shady things about this guy...

[yardwork]

4. He changed his name?

[Think. Again.]

27. Twice.

[yardwork]

28. Seems like the media could ask him why...

[Think. Again.]

29. ....

[Zeitghost]

36. We know why

He was adopted by his step father and later changed his name to that of his maternal grandparents who raised him.

[ExciteBike66]

5. Who does he think he is, Micky f-ing Spillane?

[Diamond_Dog]

6. Stinking hypocrite

You’d think seeing those children living in a war-torn nation would give him some compassion towards Ukranian citizens. Go to hell JD

[Prairie Gates]

7. "Basic military journalism? Are you shitting me, Joker?"

"Who do you think you are? Micky Spillane?"

Let's not forget that Al Gore was also a military journalist for Stars and Stripes in the Republic of Vietnam, though the American press - including that skunk Jake Tapper, self-appointed hero of the veterans - pretended that Al Gore wasn't a veteran at all, much less a Vietnam veteran. We'll see how the coverage of Vance tracks with that.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. Gore? We're fine with journalists. maga hates journalists. . . . . nt

[Prairie Gates]

23. My point is that the press ignored that Gore was a Vietnam veteran

and that they will do the opposite for Vance's veteran status, even though they had essentially the same job.

Jake Tapper, who puts himself out as the champion of veterans, is a particularly obnoxious shitheel. He savaged Al Gore for months leading up to the 2000 election from his perch at Salon. He never gave Gore credit for being a Vietnam veteran, and sneered at the very idea of it.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

25. Yup, they are hypocrites many times over. . . . .nt

[LisaM]

26. Yes, both Tapper and Toobin were hard on Gore.

For no real reason that I can fathom.

Al Gore was upfront and honest about his service during his debates. Don't forget, he was opposed to the war, but chose to serve anyway, and went to Vietnam on behalf of his country. He said it wasn't the most dangerous job he could have had, but he did speak about his service. Quite a contrast to Bush, BTW.

[Prairie Gates]

30. Gore was literally a Senator's son at the time, of course

He was going to be somewhat insulated to the extent possible. But, of course, with any other Vietnam veteran, we hear that any role in country was inherently dangerous, and Gore simply never got that credit.

The three Vietnam veterans who ran for President from a major part ticket all lost:

Al Gore (2000) - Military journalism
John Kerry (2004) - Decorated combat veteran, USN
John McCain (2008) - Pilot, POW, USN

Meanwhile, three men who in one way or another avoided the Vietnam War were all elected:

Bill Clinton (Deferments, 1992, 1996)
George W. Bush (Texas Air National Guard, 2000, 2004)
Donald Trump (Deferments; father paid doctor to fake medical exemption, 2016)

Biden also received deferments, of course, including a medical for asthma.

[LisaM]

31. At least Clinton was honest.

He applied for conscientious objector status. And, he was opposed to the war, which Bush and Trump were not. Your larger point is well taken, though. We have elected people who didn't serve when they ran against people who did.

I don't think it's an obligation by any means, but it is interesting.

[Prairie Gates]

32. Vietnam remains a black hole in the American psyche...the fact that Trump is an obvious draft dodger

just doesn't register, because people have a hard time making honest assessments of the time period.

Trump was not against the war in any way. He was not a draft resister in any way.

He simply didn't want to be drafted, and simply had his rich father pay somebody to get him out of it. He was absolutely likely to be drafted and even sent to Vietnam following the completion of his student deferments. He was simply afraid, and used money to avoid the war. This is - and should be - utterly disqualifying for a Commander-in-Chief, but it doesn't have much purchase.

Everyone simply skates over the fact that very likely some other young man received free airfare to Asia because Trump was an out-and-out coward.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

34. Well written and on point. Good stuff, especially last sentence. . . . nt

[yagotme]

10. I served in the Marines. Not everyone is a grunt.

These 2 things stuck out to me:

Vance did serve in Iraq but not combat.

He was deployed to Iraq as a combat correspondent for six months

Combat correspondents, usually, report on...combat. Lots of Iraqi and Afgani vets weren't "in combat", but still had to duck mortar, sniper, and rocket attacks.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Sure. Somewhat dangerous. But it doesn't live up to the hagiography he is sure to be given by magas. . . . nt

[yagotme]

18. Seem to be splitting some hairs...

Somewhat dangerous.

But it doesn't live up to the hagiography he is sure to be given

"Somewhat" dangerous, but not living up to what has not yet been given him. My head hurts.

[Mysterian]

14. I was a grunt in combat

The only time we ever saw reporters was far away from any danger.

[ecstatic]

12. wow. so he changed his name as a grown adult?

I thought it was changed (for the third time) when he was still a kid with his mom.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

15. Before he was Vance he was Hamel. Before Hamel, Bowman

Bowman --> Hamel --> Vance.

Shady.

James Donald Bowman was born on August 2, 1984, in Middletown, Ohio to Beverly Carol (née Vance; born 1961) and Donald Ray Bowman (1959–2023). He is of Scots-Irish descent.[1][2] His parents divorced when he was a toddler. Shortly afterward, Bowman was adopted by his mother's third husband, Bob Hamel, and had his name changed to James David Hamel.[3][4]

I did see a report he went by Vance (grandparent's name) in school, but I'm not sure of that.

Which would be Bowman --> Hamel --> Vance --> Hamel --> Vance.

[Hugin]

17. This hints at him being the worst of all political animals.

An opportunistic chameleon.

But, given his flop-flopping on his hate-love of Trump, we already knew that. My Santos warning lights just went off.

[Zeitghost]

37. How is that shady?

Name change one was when he was adopted as a young child.

The second came when he took the name of his grandparents who raised him. An honorable choice if you ask me. I did something very similar and took my mothers maiden name prior to getting married. My father was absent from my life and it was important to me for my kids to have the name of the family that I had and that they would have. What's shady about that?


There are plenty of reasons to criticize him for, but I wouldn't list an adoption and a name change to be among them.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

38. Was his father dishonorable? Was his army name dishonorable?

Sure, it's not a big point, but it seems a bit off to change it after Army service and after graduating under a different name.

[Zeitghost]

40. Sounds like his father wasn't around

Neither was mine, so I decided to take the name of the people who were around and important to me.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

41. Yes, that may have been a reason. Were you 29/30 when you changed it?

[Zeitghost]

42. I was 27

It wasn't important to me until I started a family.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

43. Vance did it when he got married. Some similarity there. . . . . nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. Odd pedophile (hebephile) fact about the Vances

His maternal grandparents, Jim and Bonnie Vance — known as “Papaw “and “Mamaw” — moved to Middletown in the late 1940s from Jackson, Kentucky, a town in the heart of southeastern Kentucky’s coal region. Jim was 16; Bonnie was 13 — and pregnant with Jim’s child. They were unmarried at the time.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/15/jd-vance-55-things-trump-vp-00167882

[yardwork]

20. That wasn't unusual at the time, in Kentucky.

Loretta Lynn was married very young, to her cousin, IIRC.

[Zeitghost]

39. Hebephile is a term used for adults

Not for teens having sex with each other.

[MineralMan]

16. Shifty, to say the least.

What will he change it to next?

[atreides1]

22. Trump...

[FakeNoose]

24. His next name will be "I. Neva Herdahim"

That will be after the November debacle....

[MineralMan]

33. LOL!

[themaguffin]

21. They also don't love Yale, but most of their candidates have gone there

[highplainsdem]

44. K&R!