Born in Columbus , Indiana on November 14 , 1956 , Pence is the oldest of six children born to his parents , Nancy and Ed . According to his mother , Pence and his three brothers rode wagons in a 1964 campaign parade for Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater . Pence earned a B.A. in theology and philosophy and a Master of Business Administration in 1983 from Loyola University Chicago . He earned a commission in the Marines in 1979 after receiving his undergraduate degree and served for five and a half years , rising to the rank of first lieutenant . In 1983 , his battalion was stationed in Beirut , and had shipped out shortly before the bombings there
the bombings there
1983 Beirut barracks bombings
Greg Pence