Care packages and cardstock turkeys: first and second ladies visit Marines and their relatives

First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Usha Vance made their first joint trip outside Washington on Wednesday, visiting Marine Corps facilities in North Carolina to honor military families ahead of Thanksgiving.

The pair visited Camp Lejeune, the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast, where they engaged with students and delivered remarks to approximately 1,600 Marines and their families at Marine Corps Air Station New River.

“Please know that our nation is thinking of you, praying for you and deeply grateful for your service,” Mrs. Trump told service members stationed away from home during the holidays. Speaking from a stage flanked by tanks and helicopters, she referred to military families as “the quiet strength of our nation.”

The First Lady also addressed the growing role of artificial intelligence in military operations. “Technology is changing the art of war,” she noted, adding that “predictably, AI will alter war more profoundly than any technology since nuclear weapons.” She emphasized the rapid shift “from human operators to human overseers” in modern warfare.

Both Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Vance recognized the recent 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps. The Second Lady, whose husband Vice President JD Vance served in the Marines, remarked that “military families are truly a model for our country and for my own family.”

Brigadier General Ralph J. Rizzo Jr. welcomed the visit, stating that such high-profile engagements “matter because they show our families their service and sacrifices are seen and appreciated.”

Before addressing the larger gathering, the two women visited Lejeune High School, home of the “Devilpups” – a nod to the Marines’ “Devil Dog” nickname. There, they participated in discussions about technological development and observed an advanced placement research class where female students demonstrated how they used AI to study the effects of electronic media on sleep and adolescent wellbeing, as well as social media’s impact on self-esteem and body image.

The visit included a stop at the gymnasium where students had assembled 2,000 care packages containing items like jerky sticks for service members away from home during the holidays. Mrs. Trump told the crowd that she and President Donald Trump always think of U.S. service members, “especially during the holidays.”

At DeLalio Elementary School, they spent time with kindergarteners and first-grade students. Each table had folders from Mrs. Trump’s “Be Best” initiative containing puzzles, pens, and stickers. Mrs. Vance contributed bookmarks for the students. Many children wore patriotic ribbons indicating they had a parent on active deployment.

While this marked their first joint trip outside Washington, the two have appeared together at several events, including the January inauguration of their husbands, a White House celebration for military mothers, a Senate spouses luncheon, the opening night of “Les Misérables” at the Kennedy Center, and the President’s recent signing of an executive order to help foster children.

Mrs. Trump has focused her work on children through her “Be Best” initiative, which emphasizes child welfare, online safety, and combating opioid abuse. Last month, she announced that eight children displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war had been reunited with their families following discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier this year, she successfully advocated for legislation imposing federal penalties for online sexual exploitation targeting young girls, which President Trump signed into law in May.

Mrs. Vance, a former lawyer, has launched initiatives including a “Summer Reading Challenge” encouraging K-8 students to read 12 books during school breaks, with certificates and prizes for participants. She frequently accompanies the Vice President on his travels, sometimes bringing their three young children.