Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, defended his military record during remarks in Los Angeles on Tuesday, saying he is “damn proud” of his service in the Army National Guard.
Speaking to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union convention, Walz addressed attacks from Republicans, including GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance, who have claimed he misrepresented his military record and falsely suggested he evaded an overseas deployment.
“These guys … are even attacking me for my record of service, and I just want to say, I’m proud to have served my country, and I always will be,” he said, receiving loud applause from the audience.
Walz outlined his time in the military, beginning with signing up for the Nebraska Army National Guard when he was 17 years old and serving 24 years total in the National Guard. He also touted his work on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee as a member of Congress.
“I’m going to say it again as clearly as I can: I am damn proud of my service to this country, and I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person’s service record,” he said.
“Anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words: Thank you for your service and sacrifice,” Walz said.
Walz’s defense of his record comes after Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign acknowledged Saturday he “misspoke” during a 2018 campaign event when he said he handled assault weapons “in war.” After the Harris campaign shared a video of the 2018 remarks last week, Vance, who served in the Marine Corps, accused Walz of “stolen valor.”
In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday, Vance defended his attacks on Walz by arguing he is criticizing Walz’s statements about his record, rather than his actions while serving.
“I’m not criticizing Tim Walz’s service; I’m criticizing the fact that he lied about his service for political gain,” the Ohio senator said on “State of the Union.”
Walz has also faced criticism from Republicans, and some veterans who served alongside him, for retiring prior to an overseas deployment just before he ran for Congress. Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Julin, who was Walz’s superior and is a longtime critic of the Minnesota governor, told CNN’s Laura Coates on Friday that Walz dodged his deployment to Iraq by retiring months before he would have been deployed.
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