JD Vance Visits Marines

By
Rachel Stevenson
-
0
737

Now that’s how you show up for the troops.

Vice President JD Vance might’ve kept his fellow Marines waiting a couple of hours at Quantico on Wednesday, but judging by the applause when he finally showed up, nobody was holding a grudge. Maybe it’s because, unlike most politicians who use military bases as backdrops for photo ops and virtue-signaling speeches about “equity in combat boots,” Vance actually speaks like someone who’s been there, done that, and still smells like gunpowder.

JD Vance gives Walz some notes on masculinity, and it’s great to watch.

Delayed by an Oval Office meeting with President Trump—a sentence that already feels like a return to common sense—Vance touched down in Marine Two and strolled into Quantico like a man on a mission. His message? Simple. The Trump administration has the military’s back. Not the press-release version of “we support the troops,” but actual support: more funding, better gear, and a lot fewer DEI seminars shoved between field training and weapons qual.

He kicked things off with an “Oorah!” that hit just right, then dropped a line that probably sent shivers down the spines of Pentagon brass who haven’t seen combat since the Clinton years: it’s time for the generals to start listening to the corporals. And yes, the applause was deafening, because it turns out when someone tells the truth in a uniform, it still gets a standing ovation.

Vance didn’t wax poetic about international diplomacy or drone policy—he told a real story about nearly buying a Honda Civic at 21% interest and getting saved by a gunnery sergeant. Relatable, humble, and refreshingly void of buzzwords. Imagine that—a vice president who actually sounds like he knows what a barracks smells like.

And then came the fire. Vance didn’t dance around the culture war issues plaguing the military. He took a blowtorch to them.

No more quotas. No more DEI “trainings” where Marines are told they need to check their privilege before checking their weapons. No more bureaucrats in Washington deciding that identity politics should matter more than lethality in combat. Vance reminded everyone that the true diversity of the Marine Corps comes from the fact that it brings together Americans from every background and molds them into warriors, not activists.

The Marine Corps turns 250 this year—an institution older than the country itself—and Vance promised it’s going to celebrate that milestone the right way: not with drag shows or TikTok videos, but by honoring its core mission of winning wars. And yes, he joked it would be a “sober, no-alcohol” affair—probably with the same level of sincerity as a Lance Corporal’s plan to get back to the barracks early on a Friday.

Then came the policy meat. A trillion-dollar investment to rebuild American manufacturing, so our military doesn’t have to rely on Chinese supply chains to gear up for battle. Because nothing says “national security threat” quite like needing Beijing’s permission to replace a tank part. Vance made it crystal clear: the Trump administration wants the best weapons, the best equipment, and a military so well-prepared that our enemies wouldn’t dare test it.

And of course, in true Marine fashion, he didn’t leave without hitting the chow hall and tossing on a hairnet to serve lunch to the troops.


As Vance quipped before heading back to DC: “Become VP, get to shoot machine guns with Marines. Not a bad gig.” And you know what? For once, it actually feels like someone in leadership isn’t just there for the optics. He’s there to lead. And it’s about time.

Who remembers this one?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR