Photo By Bailey Hittle | Steven, Ethan, and Jayce Hamel grew up in Damar, Kansas, with a population of 112. ...... read more read more
The town of Damar is located in Rooks County, Kansas, right in the heart of the United States. The population at the 2020 census was 112. The local landmark is St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, constructed in 1912 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
It was on a farm near this slice of small-town America that Greg and Tanya Hamel raised their sons Steven, Ethan, and Jayce.
“Both of our parents are teachers in the Hill City school district,” said Ethan, “so that is where we attended school K-12.” Compared to Damar, Hill City is a big town of a little over 1,000 people.
Although neither parent had been in the military, the Hamel brothers had a grandfather who was an Army medic and another was an underwater demolition diver with the Navy during the Vietnam war. They also have an uncle who served in the Army National Guard and several cousins who have served in the military. So, upon reaching an appropriate age, each of the Hamels left home to join the 184th Wing, Kansas Air National Guard.
“I was inspired to join the Air National Guard when I was at a State Freestyle Wrestling tournament in Hutchinson,” said Steven, who was the first to join, enlisting in 2016. “The recruiter at the time (Technical Sergeant Jeff Austin) caught my eye when he had all the specialized equipment out on the table for display. I had thought about joining but was unsure of where to go or what to do.”
A tour of the 284th Air Support Operations Squadron in Salina introduced him to what would eventually become his career as a joint terminal attack controller.
“When Tech. Sgt. Austin told me about all of the great educational benefits the Air National Guard offers, that was the selling point for me,” said Steven.
“I can remember the day the recruiter talked to Gabe (Steven), our oldest son,” said Tanya Hamel. “The recruiter was specifically recruiting Tactical Air Control Party members and when he described what the job entailed, Gabe never looked back.”
Brother Ethan followed Steven into the 284th Air Support Operations Squadron in 2018 to become a radio frequency transmission systems technician.
“I enlisted on April 18, 2018, almost two years after my older brother enlisted,” said Ethan. “This decision was made largely based on the good things that he had to say so far about his military career. I liked the idea of the great educational benefits that the Guard had to offer, as well as serving my country and local community.
“Shortly after I arrived at the unit, I was thought of as the new and improved version of my older brother. This sparked the nickname ‘Good Hamel,’ and my brother Steven has been called ‘Bad Hamel’ ever since. It creates a lot of friendly competition between us and other members of our unit, who are often comparing us to each other and talking about who is better at what.”
“Our three boys have always been close and competitive with each other,” said Gregg Hamel. “Sure, they have their differences from time to time, but in a crunch, they’ve always had each other’s backs.
“When they were little, if one was having trouble with their chores or some farming project, the other two would jump in and help out,” said Gregg. “Even now, as they are older, if one is having trouble with a car or something, the others are there to offer a ‘loaner’ or to help fix it.”
“I enjoy being able to serve with Ethan so closely in the same unit,” said Steven. “It creates a lot of camaraderie among the team especially because we have nearly the same drill schedule and training schedule.”
Jayce Hamel was last to enlist, joining the Kansas Air National Guard in 2021 as a member of the 184th Civil Engineers and completing tech school in June of this year.
“I wasn’t sure what to do after high school,” said Jayce, “but I knew I wanted to continue the family’s history in the military.”
“It is nice having all of us in the Air Guard,” said Steven, “because we are able to share a lot
of our experiences with the newly enlisted brother to help further his career and provide him with the resources he needs to be successful inside the Guard. More than likely, when one of us is unsure or has questions about something, the others are able to point them in the right direction. It creates a lot of conversation when we gather together, sharing upcoming training events, past experiences, and telling stories.”
“I have seen my sons build wonderful relationships,” said Tanya, “serve Kansans through helping fight wildfires, travel all over the United States for training, deploy and mourn the loss of a fellow Airman lost in a tragic accident at the unit and they have done it with such amazing strength and courage.
“Some have asked, ‘Why would you let your child join?’ It’s not mine for the choosing, but why wouldn’t I? I am very proud to say my sons are part of the Air National Guard.”
“They have driven each other to be great, hardworking, and focused young men that we are very proud of!” said Greg. “With the help of the Air National Guard, it is exciting to see where they will go!”
Though now engaged in technical fields, the brothers have found their farming background can be useful.
“One day, we were going out to play kickball and out on the field where we were going to play as a unit there was a tractor in the middle of the field,” said Steven. “Our director of operations was asking where the Hamels were to figure out how to move the tractor because we had grown up on the farm. It was funny because the unit was clapping as the tractor was moved and we had saved the day to be able to play kickball.”
While Jayce was the last to enlist, there is one more Hamel waiting in the wings.
“We have one other sibling, a 13-year-old sister named Brooke,” said Steven. “It is hard to tell if she will make it four for four in the Air National Guard.”
| Date Taken: | 12.02.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.02.2022 11:32 |
| Story ID: | 434372 |
| Location: | KS, US |
| Web Views: | 870 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Small town boys make good in the Kansas Air National Guard, by Steve Larson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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