For the younger folks: Kerry got some seriously badass medals for his military service in Vietnam. People who had been on the same boat as he did, but at a different time, worked with the Republican party to claim that he hadn’t really done what he did. The press ate this up, and distributed it widely, costing him public support and likely the election.
It worked for Kerry who saw and led men in sustained combat versus Bush, who hid from the war in the national guard.
While we should keep making this comparison, do so in public too! But don’t be surprised if the media keeps amplifying this.
Also, Walz had his retirement set before the unit knew it was deploying. That’s not something you can typically take back, another sergeant major would already be lined up for the position. So to say he “avoided” is a complete lie. Vance knows this too.