JD Vance faces flak from veterans for disregarding Marines' mess hall rule during Quantico visit

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance faced flak from some veterans after he visited the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, for apparently disregarding a mess hall rule followed by Marines, according to Raw Story.

During his visit on Wednesday, March 26, the 40-year-old wore a green military jacket and a bright red hat emblazoned with "Once a Marine, Always a Marine" to the mess hall, per the outlet.

JD Vance faces criticism for disregarding Marines' mess hall rule

Journalist and former Marine Ron Filipkowski wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Marines learn on Day 1 to never wear their cover inside and damn sure never to eat with it on. Maybe Corporal Correspondent went to a different boot camp than I did."

Similarly, former British soldier and Ukrainian Marine Shaun Pinner wrote on X, "This boy was a Marine? Why the hell is he still wearing his cover in the cookhouse? He is just an absolute f*** up."

Another X user, @Jbug33, posted, "As a Marine, you’d think JD Vance would know he needs to take his hat off indoors. This add more skepticism to his bulls**t origin story."

"I discharged out of the Navy almost 30 years ago and I still feel weird if I have my cover on while I eat," shared another on X. 

Vance enlisted in the military after high school and spent four years in the Marines and served a tour in Iraq in 2005 as a combat correspondent, as per CNN.

However, during the 2024 presidential campaign, he faced criticism for claiming he "served in a combat zone" and accused Democratic opponent Minnesota Governor Tim Walz of "stolen valor" for his military claims, as per Raw Story.

Moreover, Vance's military service "wasn't exactly the boots-on-the-ground experience that he's now framing it as," The New Republic reported at the time. It added that the former Ohio senator wrote in his memoir, 'Hillbilly Elegy', that he was "lucky to escape any real fighting."

JD Vance tested a range of weapons at Quantico

JD Vance explored the Marine training range in Quantico and tested a range of weapons firsthand on Wednesday.

He fired machine guns and rifles alongside the troops and later reshared a clip of his experience on X. He joked that being the vice president wasn’t a bad job because of perks like this, writing, "Become VP, get to shoot machine guns with Marines. Not a bad gig!"

Vance used several weapons, including an M27, an M107, an M240B, and an inert Howitzer. 

Following the Quantico visit, the vice president and his wife, second lady, Usha Vance, toured the US military's Pituffik Space Base, located on the northwest coast of Greenland, on Friday.  

Interestingly, the trip was downgraded to a one-day trip after the island’s government labeled the visit as unwanted and "highly aggressive," as per Raw Story.

President Donald Trump has been fixated on gaining control of the Danish territory and has refused to rule out using the US military to take it, as per the outlet. 

Internet slams JD Vance for disregarding Marines mess hall rule during Quantico visit

Several internet users slammed JD Vance as he disregarded the rule during his visit to the Marine Corps base in Quantico.

One wrote, "It’s basic manners to not eat with a hat on," and another said, "He was a photographer in the Marines. Photos were the only thing he could shoot."

A person remarked, "Notice how he walks right up & sits down—camera is on the spot the whole time? Total photo op. Anyone else would have approached, greeted ppl & ask if they would mind if he joined them," pointing to his attitude. 

Poking fun at the Signal chat fiasco, an individual wrote, "Marines also know not to use Signal for top secret bombing missions. They'd be in the brig if they did Corporal Typewriter did!" 

"So disrespectful!!! Take your hat off!" one more declared. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.