Vice President J.D. Vance visited Fort Campbell the day before Thanksgiving, where he spoke to the troops.
Musician Kid Rock introduced the vice president at the Army base, which stretches across the line between Kentucky and Tennessee.
Vance served Thanksgiving dinner to some of the 30,000 active duty personnel stationed at Fort Campbell and joined them for the meal.
Speaking to the troops later, Vance, a Marine Corps veteran, called them the greatest fighting force that exists in the world.
“You guys make this a Happy Thanksgiving for me because every single day you show up to work, you put on that uniform and make your nation proud,” he said. “You make me proud to be your vice president.”
He also said past administrations, Republican and Democrat, had made the mistake of deploying troops without clear goals.
“If we ask our soldiers to risk their lives to defend their country,” Vance said, “what I promise you is that we’re only going to do it with a clear mission and clear guidelines.”
Vance, who grew up in Ohio, has family ties to eastern Kentucky.
The story of his upbringing in both states was part of his 2016 book, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Division. The Army’s only air assault division is called “The Screaming Eagles.” The base is about 60 miles northwest of Nashville.
Vance acknowledged the presence of U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee. She’s his former colleague from when he was a senator from Ohio.
Blackburn is running in the primary for governor in Tennessee.
