A military veteran presented Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better Jimmy Kimmel hits Trump for rallies while hosting Emmy Awards MORE with his Purple Heart ahead of his Tuesday rally in Virginia.

Trump, the Republican Party's presidential nominee, identified the man as a lieutenant colonel. The Purple Heart is a military award given to someone who is wounded or killed while serving.

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“Man, that's big stuff,” Trump said.

“I always wanted to get the Purple Heart — this was much easier. I'll tell you, it was such an honor.”

Trump opened the rally by taking out the medal and telling the crowd in Ashburn, Va., that “something very nice just happened to me.”

He said that when he asked the man if it was a real award or a copy, the man confirmed it was his real Purple Heart medal.

“That's my real Purple Heart. I have such confidence in you,’” the man replied, according to Trump.

But NBC News's Katy Tur reported that the man told her before the rally that the award was a copy, not in fact the real one.

The man who gave Trump his purple heart told me earlier today, it was a copy of his purple heart. — Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) August 2, 2016

The exchange comes as Trump continues to face a firestorm about his criticism of the parents of a fallen Muslim soldier who spoke out against him during the Democratic National Convention.

The controversy has drawn further scrutiny to Trump’s history with the military draft.

The New York Times on Monday reported that Trump received five deferments from the draft during the Vietnam War. One was a medical deferment for heel spurs, and four were educational deferments.

Former President Bill Clinton William (Bill) Jefferson ClintonBattle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight Sunday shows - Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death dominates Bill Clinton on GOP push to fill Ginsburg vacancy: Trump, McConnell 'first value is power' MORE, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Democratic super PAC to hit Trump in battleground states over coronavirus deaths Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight MORE’s husband, wrote to an Army ROTC officer in 1969 to thank him for “saving me from the draft,” the Times reported.