Vice President JD Vance recently spent time hiking in the hills of California with fellow U.S. Marines.
“Vice President Vance led the Marines at @USMC Camp Pendleton on a hike this weekend. Once a Marine, always a Marine,” a post on his official X profile reads.
The post featured images of Vance and service members carrying backpacks as they walked along dirt roads:
Vice President Vance led the Marines at @USMC Camp Pendleton on a hike this weekend. Once a Marine, always a Marine 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/tTXHXJVGPD
— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) July 14, 2025
The X account belonging to the U.S. Marines said the hike took place on Friday and Vance led the outing “to reinforce the values of camaraderie and unit cohesion. A fundamental element in Marine training, hiking builds both physical endurance and mental resilience in preparation for future battles.”
#Marines with Headquarters and Support Battalion, @MCIWPendletonCA, hiked with the @VP of the United States, the Honorable JD Vance, at MCB Camp Pendleton, California, July 11, 2025.
— U.S. Marines (@USMC) July 14, 2025
Vance, who served in the Marines from 2003-2007, led the hike to reinforce the values of… pic.twitter.com/Vv5SKrUHRR
Had a great time hiking with the Marines at Camp Pendleton over the weekend! Semper Fi 🇺🇸 https://t.co/zkzB4z5JSU
— JD Vance (@JDVance) July 14, 2025
Social media users shared their thoughts on the photos of Vance hiking with his fellow Marines, one person writing, “Now that’s a VP who leads with his boots on. Love seeing real grit and service back in the spotlight!”
“Absolutely badass. VP Vance leading from the front—boots on the ground with his fellow Marines. Strength, loyalty, and patriotism in action. Semper Fi!” another user commented.
In March, Vance helped serve a meal to Marines at Quantico’s Dwyer Chow Hall and also shot a medium-range machine gun, per Breitbart News.
Vice President @JDVance fires an M240B medium machine gun at Quantico🔥 pic.twitter.com/uYT0VOGmgP
— William Martin (@wsmartin218) March 26, 2025
Vance, who is the first Marine to become vice president, served as an enlisted combat correspondent in the Marine Corps from 2003 t0 2007, deployed to Iraq for six months, and was later awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal, according to Breitbart News.
In his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, Vance stated, “The Marine Corps demanded that I think strategically about these decisions, and then it taught me how to do so.”
“When I joined the Marine Corps, I did so in part because I wasn’t ready for adulthood. I didn’t know how to balance a checkbook, much less how to complete the financial aid forms for college. Now I knew exactly what I wanted out of my life and how to get there,” he added.