U.S. Marines Maj. Mark Hamilton was selected to be a C-130 demonstration pilot.

 

The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, announced the officers selected for the 2015 demonstration team July 22.

 

The squadron selected a total of five naval aviators to join the team, including two pilots from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. 

 

Hamilton and Captain Katie A. Higgins, the first female Marine pilot to be selected for service with the Blue Angels, are among 16 Marines and Sailors who will join the squadron in 2015. Higgins and Hamilton are both KC-130J pilots with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 in North Carolina.

 

Hamilton, 36, grew up in Becker and graduated from Becker High School in 1996. He was an avid wrestler, according to his mom, Judy, but he always dreamed of getting behind the controls of a plane one day whether it was in the military or the civilian way of life.

 

“To be chosen for the Blue angels is one of Mark’s biggest dreams,” said Judy. “He’s always wanted to be a pilot since he was young and to get selected for this is just so exciting for him.”

 

Each of the members chosen for the Blue Angels are hand-picked from a competitive group of service members to represent their fleet counterparts. 

 

“We remain committed to selecting the most talented and qualified individuals to join the Blue Angels,” said Cmdr. Tom Frosch, flight leader and commanding officer for the team. "A significant number of extremely talented, experienced sailors and Marines applied this year, and we are proud of those we have chosen to join the 2015 team. They are excellent representatives of the skilled service members defending our freedom around the world.” 

 

“All of our finalists this year are incredible examples of some of the finest officers in the Navy and Marine Corps, from both the aviation community and the fleet,” said Lt. Cmdr. John Hiltz, Right Wing pilot and the applications officer for the 2014 team. “What was most important for us was to select the most qualified individuals for the team to represent the more than 540,000 sailors and Marines deployed around the world, around the clock. I’m happy to say that we’ve done that.”

 

The mission of the Blue Angels is to showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country through flight demonstrations and community outreach.

 

Hamilton has served two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, where he flew soldiers into territories and extracted the fallen. He is a graduate of Purdue University in 2000.

 

He is married (Janet) and the Hamiltons have two children (ages 10 and eight). They currently live in North Carolina but will soon transfer to Florida. His mother, Judy, and father, John, live in Clear Lake. Besides Mark, they’ve brought three other sons and two daughters into the world.