Walz defends his military record amid Republican attacks at first solo campaign event

Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice presidency, stood up for himself in the issue of military service on Tuesday after several GOPs headed by his rival, JD Vance of Ohio accused him of stolen valor. 
 
‘Hell yeah, I am damn proud of my service to this country,’ Walz, the governor of Minnesota, told supporters in Los Angeles during his first campaign event as a solo contender. 
 
Walz said he served in the National Guard for 24 years “for the same reason all my brothers and sisters in uniform do: Such is the case with the following evidence where one of the subjects said “We love this country. 
 
He also directly responded to GOP critics in the remarks he made at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Convention. 
 
“These guys have — are even attacking me for my record of service,” Walz said. “And I just want to say I love my country, and that will never change. ” 
 
“There is something I always stand for and that is no one should demean another person’s service history,” he argued. “To anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words: Great to serve and even greater to remain steadfast in protection of this great country and people. Thank you. 
 
Republicans have accused Walz of lying about his record in the military, with Vance, a Marine Corps veteran, making such charges. 
 
The controversy over Walz’s military service emerged following Kamala Harris’ campaign for vice presidency posting a video in 2018 of Walz as a guest on Democracy Now talking about gun control while also reminiscing about his service as a military officer. Walz says in the clip, “We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at. ” 
 
Vance last week accused Walz of exaggerating the nature of his military service in those comments. 
 
They carry on nashing at each other when Vance weighed in giving an opinion, “I’d be ashamed if I was him and I lied about my military service like he did,” he said at the time. 
 
A spokesman of Harris campaign pointed out that Walz, who is the Democrat, literally got it wrong in the video when he spoke of his interaction with the weapons ‘in war. ’ 
 
Although Walz was at post in the military for 24 years, both as an individual and as in support of a unit overseas supporting forward units, he has not seen any combat. He resigned/retired from the Minnesota National Guard in 2005 as he began preparing for the congressional seat. He won a House seat the next year. 
 
Walz said Tuesday that his father inspired him to join the military and that he joined the Army National Guard two days after his 17th birthday. 
 
He is hosting several events without Harris this week after several campaigning events with her across the swing states last week.