On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance paid a visit to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
Vance’s agenda included a brief speech to the Marines, eating lunch with them in the chow hall, and visiting a shooting range and trying several different weapons.
Ahead of Vance’s remarks, this writer had the opportunity to speak to several Marines who were hand-selected to eat lunch with the vice president.
One of them, Lance Cpl. Casey Bonestroo, 20, told Townhall that Vance’s visit was an exciting opportunity for her because he is a former Marine and understands their experiences.
“He was a Marine just like the rest of us here. That’s super motivating for me because he’s been in our shoes in some way or another,” she said.
“One of my favorite things about being a Marine is that no matter what you’ll find a Marine, retired or active duty, and we can all fall back in the same experiences…the biggest thing I kind of want to discuss with him is, how did he go, from being a junior Marine up to a corporal Marine to being vice president at the White House. What leadership skills did he learn from the Marine Corps that he can fall back on at the White House,” she added.
🎥⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LJyrHLYwiY
— Madeline Leesman (@MadelineLeesman) March 26, 2025
Another Marine selected to eat lunch with Vance also told Townhall that the vice president “motivates” him.
“He [Vance] was a Marine, so he obviously gets a lot of respect from my end,” Lance Cpl. Jacob Parker told Townhall. “He makes me so motivated.”
Cpl. Hana Lathrop, who also sat with Vance during the lunch, added, “He [Vance] left the Marine Corps as a Cpl…so I’m excited to see any advice he has to give us.”
Cpl. Hana Lathrop is another Marine who will eat lunch with @VP today at Quantico.
— Madeline Leesman (@MadelineLeesman) March 26, 2025
“He [Vance] left the Marine Corps as a Cpl…so I’m excited to see any advice he has to give us.” pic.twitter.com/WOycrx2ePi
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In Vance’s remarks, he recounted his experience as a Marine and thanked those in attendance for their service to our nation.
“You all know how big of a part the Marine Corps was in my life and how important it was for me. And I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, from one Marine to another, thank you for your service. We’re proud of you, and I’m proud to be here with my fellow Marines. God bless you guys,” Vance said.
When Vance joined in 2003, he was a “directionless kid,” he said. After he joined the Marines, he put his life in order.
“That’s what the Marine Corps does. That’s what you all do…the Marine Corps does two things: It wins battles, it wins wars, and it makes Marines. And that’s a pretty good damn thing to do for the United States of America,” he said.
“I’m proud that I think, under new leadership…the entire United States military is headed in the right direction…If you are awesome and you are a patriotic young Marine, then we are going to do everything that we can to make you the most lethal fighting force the world has ever seen,” he said.
“No more quotas, no more ridiculous mumbo jumbo. No more diversity trainings. We believe the real strength and the real diversity in the United States Marine Corps is that you all come from every walk of life, come from every corner of America, and you have got the strength and the purpose to win the nation’s wars,” Vance said, adding that recruitment numbers that were previously dipping across several branches are now upticking with a “renewed sense of patriotism.”
Fortunately, this writer had the opportunity to partake in the official press pool for Vance’s visit at Quantico. Following his remarks, this press pool accompanied Vance to the chow hall and the shooting range at the base.
In the chow hall, Vance met with Marines and served food to some of them.
Now Vance will eat lunch with Marines 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/bmhmDx8lmR
— Madeline Leesman (@MadelineLeesman) March 26, 2025
VP Vance serving lunch to Marines at the chow hall in Quantico pic.twitter.com/GnGB4WoCeP
— Morgan Phillips (@_phillipsmorgan) March 26, 2025
After the quick lunch, Vance went to a shooting range on the base. He fired off various weapons with other Marines. This included a howitzer, a M240B medium machine gun, a M27 5.56 infantry rifle, a M107 .50 sniper, and an FPV drone.
More footage at the range 🎥 pic.twitter.com/72c1RpwKTh
— Madeline Leesman (@MadelineLeesman) March 26, 2025
— Madeline Leesman (@MadelineLeesman) March 26, 2025
Vance departed the base shortly after. He is scheduled to visit Greenland later this week with a U.S. delegation including his wife, Usha Vance.
Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership, the warrior ethos is being restored to America's military.
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