LCDR Andrew C. “Drew,” “Thumper” Hamblen, USNR-R

Executive Committee, Naval Helicopter Association Historical Society

       LCDR Andrew C. Drew Hamblen, USNR

LTJG Hamblen became a Naval Aviator on June 5, 2009 at HT-18, NAS Whiting Field, Milton, FL.  LTJG Hamblen was Navy Helicopter Pilot Designator Number R-29993.

Drew grew up in Greenville, SC and returned to join the leadership team in 2017 following a 11-years of service as a Navy MH-60 Weapons and Tactics Flight Instructor Pilot. His service included multiple deployments, most recently aboard the USS Ronald Reagan while deployed out of Yokosuka, Japan. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and earned his MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Passionate about history and committed to community engagement, Drew enjoys teaching apologetics and has actively served in various leadership roles, including as Board President of the Home Builders Association of Greenville in 2024. Outside of work, Drew and his wife stay busy raising their four energetic, young children and enjoying family life to the fullest.

Drew is a Navy veteran and father of 4 now running 2 residential construction companies in South Carolina. He deployed on the USS George H. W. Bush as part of Carrier Air Wing EIGHT in 2011 with HSC-9 flying the MH-60S. From 2013-2016 Drew served as a WTI with the Savages of HSCWSL followed by a CAG Staff tour with CVW-5 in Atsugi Japan- which he highly recommends! Drew is a travel enthusiast having visited 50 foreign countries and enjoys advanced biblical studies in his free time.