The claim that Walz "abandoned" his National Guard unit right before he would have been deployed to Iraq is a subjective allegation leveled by a small number of former National Guardsmen and Minnesota political activists.

Walz and Vance's military histories will likely come up during the debate. Their similarities, though, don't stop at their willingness to serve. Both candidates enlisted as teenagers, used G.I. bills to attend college and neither saw combat.

Walz's military record has been under scrutiny after a series of claims made by veterans and leading Republicans.

Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, some Republicans placed renewed focus on a series of old attacks about Walz's service in the National Guard. Largely, these attacks focus on three allegations: He "abandoned" his National Guard unit right before he would have been deployed to Iraq.