Walz Forcefully Defends Military Record in First Solo Campaign Stop

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota defended himself against Republican attacks on his military service record on Tuesday in his first solo campaign event since being named Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate.

Speaking at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees convention in Los Angeles, Mr. Walz responded directly for the first time to the claims pushed by former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign that he exaggerated his military record to suggest he had served in combat when he had not, and that he left his Army National Guard unit to run for public office in order to avoid deploying to Iraq.

“I am damn proud of my service to this country,” Mr. Walz said. “And I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person’s service record.”

Mr. Walz retired from the National Guard in 2005 after 24 years, a year before his artillery battalion deployed to Iraq. At the time of his retirement, soldiers knew a deployment was possible, but the actual orders came months after Mr. Walz, then 41, had already left to run for a seat in the House of Representatives. On Tuesday, he framed that decision as another act of service.

“In 2005, I felt the call of duty again, this time paying service to my country in the halls of Congress,” Mr. Walz said. Without referring to him by name, he addressed Senator JD Vance of Ohio, Mr. Trump’s running mate, who has led the “stolen valor” attacks against him and who also served in the military.

“To 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,” Mr. Walz said.