Liberty YAF Members Hear From Congressman John McGuire

Liberty University’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) heard from Congressman John McGuire in DeMoss Hall 1332 the evening of Jan. 30.  

Isaiah Varella, president of YAF, opened the meeting in prayer and introduced McGuire. McGuire was elected to Virginia’s 5th Congressional District in November 2024. His career path is notably marked by his time as a Navy SEAL, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and founder of SEAL Team Physical Training.  

Varella hoped that by inviting McGuire to speak, students will feel more comfortable speaking with members of Congress and other politicians.  

“I really hope students gain the knowledge that it’s not impossible and it’s not scary to communicate with a member of Congress,” Varella said.  

McGuire opened by getting to know the students in the room. He asked each student what state they were from and expanded the conversation when students said they were from a state he recently visited.  

McGuire then outlined his life story, from his experience in foster care, to his time as a Navy SEAL, and even all the way to his first three weeks on the job as a congressman. The Virginia congressman spent a portion of his speech recalling his accomplishment of becoming one of the youngest snipers in Navy SEAL history. 

Photo provided by Lorielle Tweedy

McGuire said becoming a sniper was a difficult feat — there was a five-year waitlist — but he started his journey by becoming a support man of Team 6’s lead sniper Dave Johnson. His main responsibilities in this role were to check inventory and to ensure the snipers’ needs were met for every training session.  

McGuire traveled with the team to a sniper competition and unexpectedly participated in the competition himself; the man collecting $5 from each person assumed he was also a sniper. In the three minutes allotted to shoot a target at 600 yards away, McGuire struggled to figure out how to open the case, get the rifle out and take the safety off. In the last few seconds, McGuire managed to pull the trigger on a shot that won him the competition and sent him to sniper school. 

He attributed his success of becoming a sniper to his attitude and effort.  

“Because I had a good attitude, it put me in a position where I could be successful,” McGuire said. “…There’s two things as young people you can control, and that’s your effort and your attitude.”  

The remainder of McGuire’s speech centered around his journey to his current position as a congressman. McGuire admitted that he initially had no interest in politics, but many individuals told him he should run for the Virginia House of Delegates, and eventually for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.  

Through his position, McGuire said he has been able to be a voice for the people. McGuire explained how he has spent hours going door to door, discussing problems citizens see and how they should be fixed. McGuire made it his mission to take what people have said to heart and work tirelessly to create a solution.  

“As your representative, I’m supposed to be your voice,” McGuire said.  

McGuire described some of the laws and bills that have been passed because of ideas he heard from common individuals. Some of these had to do with veterans’ taxes, including veterans’ statuses on driver’s licenses, and even a pro-life bill. McGuire did not take any of the credit for the successes himself; he made it clear that it was through the work of a team and listening to voices of the general public.  

After McGuire’s speech, students were given the opportunity to ask him questions. Some of these questions had to do with taxes and deportation, of which McGuire said he approved of how the United States has handled those issues as of late.    

Senior Stone Clark admired McGuire’s determination.  

“He always had a goal in mind, and he never let anything stop him,” Clark said.  

To get involved with YAF, visit its Instagram page @lu_yaf.  

Sturek is the on-campus news editor for the Liberty Champion.

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