RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, in his first solo appearance on the campaign trail, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz defending himself against Republican attacks on his 24-year record of military service.
TIM WALZ: I'm going to say it again as clearly as I can, I am damn proud of my service to this country.
SCOTT: Walz spent 24 years in the Minnesota National Guard, while teaching and coaching football, leaving to run for Congress months before his unit deployed to Iraq. In the House, he was the top Democrat on the Veteran Affairs Committee. But since joining the Harris ticket, he has been under relentless attack from Donald Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, who has seized on this moment:
WALZ: We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at.
SCOTT: Vance accusing Walz of lying about his service.
JD VANCE: And he has not spent a day in a combat zone. What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you're not.
SCOTT: Today, Walz pushing back at Vance, who served as a Marine in Iraq himself, but didn't see active fighting.
SCOTT: And I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person's service record. 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.
