JD Vance underwent surgery before being sworn in as VP

JD Vance's path to the White House tells a remarkable tale. The 40-year-old Ohio native gained recognition after publishing his memoir Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis in 2016.

After serving in the military and briefly working as a venture capitalist, he now holds the office of Vice President of the United States. Despite his political success, Vance faced health challenges earlier this year, requiring surgery in January.

His upbringing differed greatly from what many might imagine. Born in Middleton, Ohio, Vance grew up alongside his half-sister, Lindsay Vance. Their mother struggled with drug addiction. His parents separated during his early childhood, and as time passed, his mother displayed aggressive behavior.

Vance endured numerous difficult experiences as a child. In a conversation with NPR, he discussed incidents also detailed in his memoir, which later inspired Ron Howard's film adaptation starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close.

During the NPR interview, Vance described a frightening episode when his mother threatened to crash their vehicle with him and his sister inside.

"I jumped into the back seat to hide from her. This made her very angry. She stopped the car and pulled over and, I think, was going to begin hitting me. So I ran," Vance explained.

The situation culminated in legal action against his mother before Vance and Lindsay found freedom. Their grandparents adopted them, and while life remained challenging, the siblings had each other for support.

When Lindsay moved away to start her family, Vance struggled to find direction. His sister felt remorseful about leaving him behind. After reading his account of her departure in his memoir, Lindsay wept.

"I would lie in bed at night reading it and just cry," she told NBC News. "I felt so sorry for those children and wondered why I didn't see him more... I should have done more."

Vance has consistently absolved Lindsay of any guilt. "Lindsay shouldn't feel guilty at all," he told Kelly. "She had found her path and I was searching for mine."

Without clear life goals, Vance began associating with troublesome peers and experimenting with substances, until his grandmother intervened. Her decisive conversation with him created a lasting impression.

"She spoke to me with a threatening tone, 'Listen, JD, I'm giving you an option. Either stop spending time with these kids, or I'll drive over them with my car. And believe me, nobody will ever discover it,'" Vance recounted to NPR.

After completing his education at Middletown High School in 2003, Vance joined the military. He enrolled in the Marine Corps and worked as a combat correspondent in Iraq during 2005. His responsibilities included composing articles and capturing photos for the public affairs department, using the name James Hamel. His surname came from his stepfather, Robert Hamel, and his mother had changed his name to James David Hamel.

While he might not have envisioned a political career then, his fellow service members noticed political qualities in him. His Marine associate, retired Maj. Shawn Haney, who supervised Vance at Cherry Point, North Carolina, indicated he anticipated Vance would eventually enter the White House.

"We collectively predicted he would pursue political office someday," he informed CNN. "He consistently performed excellently in his current role, but always anticipated the next opportunity."

Vance documented extensively about his military service and overseas deployment in his 2016 autobiography Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. He noted his fortune in avoiding combat situations, yet emphasized how his Iraq experience provided significant life perspective.

In his publication, Vance described an incident when he accompanied a civil affairs unit for community engagement in an Iraqi neighborhood, which he considered a powerful reminder of his privileged circumstances.

"I enlisted in the Marine Corps partly because I wasn't prepared for adult responsibilities," Vance stated in his memoir. "I lacked knowledge about managing finances, let alone completing college financial aid applications."

"The Marine Corps provided my first genuine opportunity to fail, required me to face that opportunity, and then, following my failure, offered me another chance regardless."

Upon returning from Iraq, Vance resumed service at the Marine Corps Airfield in Cherry Point, North Carolina. Unexpectedly, he secured a position as a media relations officer on domestic soil, a role typically assigned only to veteran Marines. This position allowed him to refine his media interaction abilities, as the job required dealing with journalists. According to Stripes, this assignment is regarded as the premier position within Marine Corps public affairs, featuring the "widest audience and most significant consequences."

"This experience taught me a crucial insight: I was capable. I could handle 20-hour workdays when necessary. I could communicate effectively and self-assuredly with television cameras pointed at my face. I could participate confidently in discussions with high-ranking officers and maintain my position. I could fulfill a captain's responsibilities despite my doubts," Vance documented in his publication.

Haney, who supervised Vance as the public affairs leader at Cherry Point, explained that upon his return, she assigned him to manage media relations, a role typically reserved for officers.

"I required someone to fill the media relations officer position. My lieutenants were being deployed, so JD Vance became the next available choice," Haney explained. "This was traditionally an officer's responsibility, and he held the rank of corporal at that time."

Vance's natural aptitude for politics became increasingly obvious. Curt Keester, a fellow Marine Corps veteran who served alongside Vance at Cherry Point, remembered an occasion when they visited New York City during Fleet Week. As they awaited the wreath-laying ceremony, journalists approached them.

"While we stood waiting, a broadcaster, a radio reporter, came over and began questioning us, asking, 'What are your thoughts?' I provided what I considered a poor response," Keester recalled in his CNN interview. "He asked JD the identical question, and immediately, he delivered this articulate, Churchill-esque statement, which made me realize how perfectly suited he was for public affairs. He possessed a natural talent."

Following military service, Vance utilized the GI Bill to attend Ohio State University, graduating in 2009 with undergraduate degrees in political science and philosophy. His academic excellence and dedication eventually secured him admission to Yale Law School, where he earned his law degree in 2013.

Wanting to share his life story, Vance authored the 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. The book achieved tremendous popularity before being transformed into a Netflix film in 2020. The publication undoubtedly generated substantial income for Vance, and his earnings increased further after becoming Donald Trump's vice presidential nominee. According to the New York Times, Vance's autobiography sold more than 750,000 copies across all formats in the weeks following Trump's VP announcement.

The book's success brought Vance significant recognition. Consequently, he established connections with investors, including AOL co-founder Steve Chase, who offered him a position at his company, Revolution, focusing on Midwestern startup investments. Two years later, Vance departed to establish Cincinnati-based Narya Ventures, but shortly afterward, he redirected his ambitions toward Washington.

In 2018, political observers considered Vance as a potential US Senate candidate. He opted against running, citing family considerations, but the situation changed three years afterward. When Republican Rob Portman, the junior US Senator representing Ohio, announced he would not seek another term, Vance emerged as a contender—and joined the electoral contest.

Vance secured first place in the Republican primary during May 2022. In the subsequent November general election, he triumphed over Tim Ryan and took the oath of office as Ohio's Senator on January 3, 2023. Donald Trump supported JD Vance during this campaign, although their relationship had previously experienced friction.

In 2017, Vance transmitted messages to a former law school classmate via X (previously Twitter), which CNN verified. He expressed opposition to the American Health Care Act—the Republican alternative to Obamacare—and described Trump as a "moral disaster." During a 2016 conversation with Kentucky radio host Matt Jones, Vance also criticized Trump's political approach.

"I find Trump intolerable because I believe he's deceitful. I think he completely misrepresents himself while taking advantage of these individuals," Jones remarked to Vance.

"I share that view," Vance responded. "I concur with your assessment of Trump, because I don't believe he represents authenticity. I doubt he genuinely cares about the public. I think he simply recognized a gap in political discourse—people from these American regions feel neglected, excluded, and deeply frustrated. Of course, they have legitimate reasons for these feelings in many respects. The problem lies in Trump becoming the channel for much of this frustration."

Eventually, JD Vance and Trump reconciled their differences, and currently, he serves as the Vice President of the United States of America. Last August, shortly after naming Vance as his running mate, Trump commented: "I perceive him as strongly devoted to family values. However, that doesn't suggest any deficiency in those without families."

Vance has occupied the Vice Presidential office for several months now. He recently attracted significant international criticism after verbally attacking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House a few weeks ago, and the developments of the next four years remain uncertain.

The beginning of his White House tenure faced complications due to health issues. On January 3, approximately two weeks before the Washington inauguration, officials announced that the then-Vice President-elect had undergone a "previously scheduled" minor surgical procedure. The operation reportedly took place at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC.

"The Vice President-elect is receiving long-planned, minor sinus surgery and will resume his duties tomorrow," his spokesperson William Martin informed Fox at that time.

JD Vance promptly resumed his professional responsibilities, suggesting the surgical procedure was indeed successful. Upon taking his oath as Vice President, he earned the distinction of becoming the youngest person to hold this office since Richard Nixon.

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