‘I’m Damn Proud of My Service!’ Tim Walz Defends Military Record And Thanks JD Vance For His Service

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Kamala Harris’s running mate, took on the accusations regarding his military service record during a solo stump speech on Tuesday.

Walz spoke to the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees in Los Angeles and boasted of his union membership while dutifully praising Harris’s agenda and accomplishments.

Walz addressed attacks from Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) and other Republicans claiming he retired from the National Guard in order to avoid going to Iraq – despite having retired months before his unit received orders to deploy.

Walz recalled how he was inspired by his father’s service during the Korean War to enlist when he was 17. “Then in 2005, I felt the call of duty again, this time of being service to my country in the halls of Congress. My students inspired me to run for that office, and I was proud to make it to Washington,” Walz said, adding:

I was a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and a champion of our men and women in uniform. 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. 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 , who served for 24 years but was never deployed to active duty combat, had also been accused of “stolen valor” for having once said, “We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war.”

Lauren Hitt, a Harris campaign spokesperson, released a statement over the weekend saying Walz “misspoke.”

“In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke,” Hitt said . “He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children.”

Walz also tore into Trump and painted him as out of touch with American workers. “You heard the story. You knew Vice President Harris grew up in a middle-class family. Picked up shifts at McDonald’s as a student. I keep asking this, to make a contrast here, can you simply picture Donald Trump working at a McDonald’s trying to make a McFlurry or something?” Walz jabbed.

Watch the clip above and full speech here .