JD Vance's Marine Corps Service Would Set Him Apart from Most Vice Presidents

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday selected Ohio Sen. JD Vance -- a Marine veteran, author and once-critic of the former president -- as his running mate for the 2024 election.

Vance, 39, is the first post-9/11 veteran to find a spot on a major party ticket and, if elected, would likely be the first Marine veteran to serve as the second-in-command, a Military.com analysis of vice presidential biographies found. He is the first veteran on a major party ticket since John McCain in 2008.

Of the 49 vice presidents in U.S. history, less than half had some sort of military experience. Examples included service in militias, the National Guard, the U.S. Navy and Army. Military.com could not find any evidence that any vice president served in the Marine Corps.

In a statement Monday, the CEO of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Allison Jaslow, supported the former president's decision in selecting Vance.