In an epic series of remarks on the U.S. Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary at Camp Pendleton, Vice President JD Vance, the first retired Marine to occupy that role, joked with the assembled service members and established his firm roots as a Marine Corps veteran.
VP Vance’s comments came during the same event in which Secretary of War Pete Hegseth skewered DEI by warning the assembled Marines that “your diversity is not your strength.” Also participating, and rounding out the speeches, Commandant Gen. Eric Smith called Marines America’s “911 force,” and invited the crowd to be “Ready to fight. Ready to win.”
In any case, in a hilarious moment that went viral on social media, Vance recounted how different the culture was in the USMC than in Washington. He began, smirking as he made his joke, “I realized that over my four years in the United States Marine Corps, I probably learned about 100 jokes about United States Marines, and every single one of them Marines would mean the end of my political career if I told it up here today.”
Continuing, and getting to the entertaining punchline, the vice president said his staff begged him to not tell those inappropriate jokes, saying, “I sent a few of them last night to my communication staff, and I said, can I tell this one? And they said, Please, no, sir, please, please, do not tell that one.”
Adding to his comments with a more serious and celebratory note, Vance said, “God bless you, Marines.” Adding “From one Marine to another, thank you for your service. I’ve also got to give a special shout-out to the incredible display that we saw earlier today. It made my heart sing.”
He further said, “As your vice president, and it was a testament to the core strength and unbeatable power. It reminded me why I am so proud to have worn the uniform, to be one among your ranks, and to be the very first vice president to have been a United States Marine.”
Additionally, VP Vance vowed to improve pay for the Marines in comments sure to be popular with the servicemen. Vance declared, “We will do everything possible to make sure enlisted Marines get paid. Political battles in Washington should not come at the expense of troops and their families.”
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Concluding his comments to the troops, JD Vance reestablished his deep connection to the USMC and attacked woke values. “Every single person here bleeds Marine Corps green. It is our common purpose that carries us forward. Keep kicking a–. Keep taking names. Semper Fidelis, Marines. Happy 250th birthday. God bless you,” Vance said.
Watch the clip here:
Other speakers, such as General Eric Smith, warned against an over-reliance on tech and praised the fighting spirit of the USMC, saying that it is what will win wars, not gadgets. “The next fight is coming. Marines will be ready. Ready to fight. Ready to win,” Smith declared.
Starting his speech with a joke, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth instantly won over the Marine-filled crowd with his trademark wit and a bit of flattery. “I’m not supposed to say this, really not. But I think you guys might be my favorite,” Hegseth, himself an Army combat veteran, announced.
Wrapping up his epic speech, the Secretary of War demolished DEI, saying, “The truth is, your diversity is not your strength. Never has been. Your strength is in your unity of purpose. It’s in your shared mission. It’s in your oath to the Constitution. It’s the bond that turns individuals into single-minded fighting units. You see, you are set apart. You’re not civilians. You’re devil dogs, leathernecks, United States Marines.”
Featured image from embedded video