JD Vance accuses Tim Walz of 'lying' about military service: 'Stolen valor garbage'

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JD Vance accuses Tim Walz of 'stolen valor'

JD Vance accused Gov. Tim Walz of 'stolen valor' over his claims to have fought in Iraq

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of dodging his military service and misleading the country about his veteran status on Wednesday.

Vance made the statement while taking questions from reporters at a campaign rally in Detroit. A reporter asked Vance about Walz's attempt to frame him as a member of the elite who attended an Ivy League school.

"I came from a family where nobody in my family had ever gone to law school. I grew up in a poor family. The fact that Tim Walz wants to turn it into a bad thing, that I actually worked myself through college, through law school and made something myself — to me, that's the American dream. And if Tim Walz wants to insult it, I think that's frankly pretty bizarre," Vance said before launching into an attack on Walz.

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Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, right, accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of dodging his military service and misleading the country about his veteran status on Wednesday. (Getty Images)

"As a Marine who served his country in uniform when the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it. I did what they asked me to do, and I did it honorably," he said. "When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him, a fact that he's been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people that he served with." 

Vance continued, "I think it's shameful to prepare your unit to go to Iraq, to make a promise that you're going to follow through, and then to drop out right before you actually have to go."

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Vance went on to highlight comments from Walz on gun control, saying the governor had used his questionable military history in an attempt to push gun restrictions.

Vance blasted Walz for invoking his history in the military when calling for tighter gun control. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

"He said, 'We shouldn't allow weapons that I used in war to be on America's streets.' Well, I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? When was this? What was this weapon that you carried into war, given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq, and he has not spent a day in a combat zone? What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage," Vance said.

Walz left the National Guard in May 2005 after 24 years of service, according to Army Lt. Col. Ryan Rossman, director of operations for the Minnesota National Guard. His unit was not given deployment orders to Iraq until July. He had put his retirement papers in 5-7 months prior to his retirement that May.

Walz has also faced scrutiny about whether he served in Operation Enduring Freedom. His battalion was sent to Europe, in his case to Vicenza, Italy to train units in artillery. Personnel deployed overseas in support of OEF are considered by the National Guard to have officially served in OEF, regardless of whether they set foot in Afghanistan or not.

Vance also urged reporters to hold Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris accountable. Harris has not taken questions from the press in the 17 days since President Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed her.

Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff wave as they board Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrew in Maryland on Tuesday. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

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Former President Trump has accused Harris of hiding behind her teleprompter even as Biden "hid in his basement."