On August 5, 2005, PFC Vance left Cherry Point and went to Al Assad Air Base to help with Operation Iraqi Freedom. As part of his Public Affairs job, he rotated to different forward bases controlled by US Marine Combat Forces. He went to Al Taqaddum, Al Qaim, and Al Ramadi, among others.
FYI here is a photo of him in the Marines. A Hum Vee stands 6 ft tall. This Humvee has additional height to it because of the additional cover. He is 6ft tall. https://combatveteransforcongress.org/candidate/senator-james-d-vance
LIST OF OHIO CASUALTIES IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN from 2005: https://www.cleveland19.com/story/3689454/list-of-ohio-casualties-in-iraq-and-afghanistan/
https://knowinsiders.com/jd-vance-in-the-marine-corps-3-names-4-years-and-some-awards-as-journalist-40468.html
Original 21 year old (born 8-2-84) JD possibly died in Iraq in 2005, and someone has taken over his identity?
This is not a believable career trajectory.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._Vance
Who might have been in need of a new identity that was around 6 feet tall? Just saying.