>>> EVERY YEAR ABOUT 2 MILLION AMERICANS SERVE IN THE ARMED FORCES EITHER FULL-TIME OR ONE WEEKEND A MONTH. THEY COME FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. ALL SERVE IN DIFFERENT WAYS. MANY SERVE AS SENATOR J.D. VANCE DID. AFTER HIGH SCHOOL HE SIGNED UP FOR A FOUR-YEAR ENLISTMENT IN THE MARINES INCLUDING SIX MONTHS IN IRAQ DOING PUBLIC AFFAIRS. HE WAS THEN HONORABLY DISCHARGED. WE SHOULD SAY THAT'S A BIT OF A RARITY AMONG POLITICIANS. MOST POLITICIANS SERVE AS OFFICERS AFTER COLLEGE. THEY DON'T ENLIST AFTER HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE SERVING AS AN OFFICER AFTER COLLEGE MEANS BETTER PAY, BETTER BENEFITS, AND THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF A DIVISION BETWEEN OFFICERS AND THE ENLISTED ARMED FORCES. THERE'S AN EXPERIENCE THAT IS EVEN RARER AMONG THE TINY FRACTION OF AMERICANS WHO ENLIST, A MUCH SMALLER SHARE MAKE A CAREER OF IT, SERVING 20 YEARS OR MORE WITH MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE DEPLOYMENTS. A TINY FRACTION OF THOSE TO STAY IN THE SERVICE AFTER BEING DISABLED ON THE JOB, AND ONE OF THEM IS MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TIM WALZ. AN ENLISTED SOLDIER IN THE NATIONAL GUARD FOR NEARLY A QUARTER OF A CENTURY, A JOURNEY THAT BEGAN ON A NEBRASKA FARM AS SOON AS HE WAS ELIGIBLE TO JOIN. >> MY FATHER SERVED DURING THE KOREAN WAR AND THE DAY AFTER I TURNED 17, HE TOOK ME DOWN TO AN ARMY NATIONAL GUARD RECRUITER AND I RAISED MY HAND AND SIGNED UP. >> THAT WAS IN 1981. RONALD REAGAN WAS PRESIDENT. WALZ CONTINUED TO SERVE FOR THE NEXT 24 YEARS, UNDER FOUR COMMANDERS IN CHIEF. HE SPENT MOST OF THAT TIME AS AN ARTILLERY SOLDIER. THAT TOOK A TOLL ON HIS HEARING. IN FACT, IN 2002 AFTER HE'D ALREADY DONE 20 YEARS HE QUALIFIED FOR RETIREMENT. A MEDICAL BOARD CONSIDERED DISCHARGING HIM BECAUSE OF HIS HEARING IMPAIRMENT. INSTEAD HE CONVINCED THEM TO LET HIM COMPLETE HIS FINAL ENLISTMENT, WHICH BEGAN AFTER 9/11. WALZ ACHIEVED THE HIGHEST ENLISTED RANK IN THE ARMY, COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR, BUT RATHER THAN STAY IN AND COMPLETE THE SCHOOLING FOR THE RANK, WALZ RETIRED IN 2005 AT THE RANK OF MASTER SERGEANT. IN PART HE SAYS BECAUSE HE WANTED AT THAT POINT TO SPEAK FREELY ABOUT POLITICAL INJUSTICE, SPECIFICALLY THE IRAQ WAR. THE FOLLOWING YEAR HE WAS ONE OF MORE THAN 60 ANTIWAR VETERANS RUNNING FOR CONGRESS, THE FIGHTING DEMS, A GROUP THAT INCLUDED JIM WEBB, PATRICK MURPHY AND TAMMY DUCKWORTH. >> I SPENT 24 YEARS IN THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD. I SPENT THE BETTER PART OF TWO DECADES AS A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER. I'M A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER. I'M A FATHER AND I'M A HUSBAND. I INTEND TO COME HERE TO WASHINGTON TO PROVIDE AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP AND TO TRULY REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF MY DISTRICT AND THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES. >> AFTER A SURPRISE VICTORY IN A RED DISTRICT, WALZ BECAME THE HIGHEST-RANKING ENLISTED VETERAN EVER TO SERVE IN CONGRESS AND WORKED TO HELP END THE MILITARY'S ANTI- DON'T ASK DON'T TELL POLICY'S. >> I HAD STUDENTS THAT I TAUGHT IN THE CLASSROOM, COACHED ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD, TRAINED IN MY GUARD UNIT AND THEY WENT OFF TO IRAQ TO FIGHT FOR THIS NATION. THEY WENT OFF TO AFGHANISTAN TO FIGHT FOR THIS NATION. NOT ONCE, NOT ONCE IN MY CAREER DID THE QUESTION OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION EVER COME UP. IT'S TIME TO ERASE THIS MISTAKE FOR OUR SECURITY AND FOR AMERICANS, AND I'LL BE WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. >> AFTER DONALD TRUMP WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT, WALZ BECAME THE RANKING DEMOCRAT ON THE HOUSE VETERAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. HE FOUGHT THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE PLAN FOR PRIVATIZING VETERANS HEALTHCARE WHILE USING HIS OWN EXPERIENCES WITH THE VA TO HELP OTHER VETERANS GET THEIR BENEFITS. WAHL'S EXPERIENCE IN THE ARMED FORCES IS AN ATYPICAL ONE FOR MOST AMERICANS, TYPICALLY FOR POLITICIANS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL. THERE REALLY IS LITERALLY NO ONE LIKE HIM. NOW WALZ IS RUNNING WITH, HARRIS AGAINST DONALD TRUMP AND J.D. VANCE AND PERHAPS NOT THAT SURPRISINGLY, REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO SWIFTBOAT WALZ, DENIGRATING HIS SERVICE THE WAY THEY DID WITH VIETNAM VET JOHN KERRY 20 YEARS AGO, SAYING HE STOLE VALOR AND LEFT THE ARMY TO AVOID GOING TO IRAQ. IS A PLAYBOOK REPUBLICANS ALSO USED AGAINST WALZ WHEN HE RAN FOR GOVERNOR OF MINNESOTA AND IT FAILED THEN BECAUSE THEY'RE LIES. IT TURNS OUT WHEN VOTERS HEAR ABOUT THE QUARTER-CENTURY WALZ SPENT AS A CITIZEN SOLDIER, THE TIME HE SPENT SINCE THEN FIGHTING FOR IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS TO GET THE