Photo By Cpl. Andre Marshall | This layout and design was created to highlight U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Angel Velez, an...... read more read more
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For some Marines, home is a place they leave behind when they enlist in the armed forces. For Cpl. Angel Velez IV, home became a place he returned to with a new perspective.
Velez spent 16 years growing up in Havelock, North Carolina, a small community with strong military ties that holds Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point near its center. His mother, Tabitha Kinney, a retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, raised him with the values shaped by a life of military service.
When Velez enlisted in the Marine Corps, he had two primary goals: better himself and travel the world. Hoping to get orders overseas with his eyes set on Japan, he originally planned to become an air traffic control Marine. Upon completing the training pipeline, he discovered he wasn’t suitable for the highly selective field.
“I’m originally air traffic control. I passed the schoolhouse. I went to the fleet. I found out I had problems with my hearing,” Velez recounted.
Because of his hearing issues, Velez was unable to continue his original plan of being an ATC Marine, a job that requires sharp hearing to discern voices coming over the radio. Having already completed air traffic control training in Pensacola, Florida, he weighed his options and selected a new military occupational specialty that would allow him to complete training quickly and return to the Fleet Marine Force. Fortunately, he was able to lean on his mother for advice, who had 23 years of active-duty experience.
“He’s very meticulous with notes, maintaining, tracking, organizing and scheduling things,” said Kinney. “I explained to him what we did in our job field and how we tracked the pilots training, wrote flight schedules. He's very good with numbers, and that's a large portion of our job.”
To Velez, aviation operations was the natural choice.
“This was actually the option that I figured was the best route for me,” said Velez. “Considering my mom’s history and what she thought was best for me, and it actually turned out pretty well.”
Velez completed aviation operations training and received orders, expecting a smooth transition back to the FMF.
“I had orders to Okinawa, and then a week later they told me, ‘No, you’re going back to Cherry Point,’” Velez said.
Returning to Havelock was not initially what he wanted, however, being back in his hometown allowed Velez to experience it from a new perspective.
Today, Velez regularly volunteers at Havelock High School and Middle School, where he has the opportunity to reconnect with some of the teachers who helped shape him and his siblings.
“I get to see them from a new perspective,” said Velez. “I get to see them in their daily life rather than in school as a teacher only.”
Those experiences have given Velez a greater appreciation for the community that surrounded him growing up. What once felt like a place he needed to leave behind has become a place where he can give back.
His journey has also taught him that a change in direction does not necessarily mean losing sight of the destination. When asked if he would change anything about his career up to this point, Velez said he would not.
“Just because we don’t end up with what we want, doesn’t mean we can’t still find the things that we’re looking for,” he said.
For Velez, the Marine Corps has provided more than the opportunity to pursue the goals he had when he enlisted. It has allowed him to return home, see his community through a different lens, and find purpose in giving back to the place that helped shape who he is today.
| Date Taken: | 08.14.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.14.2026 15:57 |
| Story ID: | 572443 |
| Location: | HAVELOCK, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Faces on Station - Cpl. Angel Velez: From being a part of the community to serving it, by Cpl Steven Wells, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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