Topline
Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, accused his newly minted Democratic counterpart Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of leaving the National Guard to avoid being deployed to Iraq—raising a years-old allegation that Walz and some of his fellow guardsmen have long disputed, arguing instead he retired after 24 years to run for Congress.
US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (R) and her running mate … [+]
Key Facts
Accusing Walz of “stolen valor, Vance alleged he “dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him” to Iraq, during a campaign stop in Michigan Wednesday.
Trump on Wednesday also called Walz “a disgrace to our country” on Truth Social, linking to a Newsweek op-ed by right-wing podcast host and Army veteran Dan Holloway calling “Tim Walz’s abandonment of his unit . . . unforgivable.”
The claim has circulated in Minnesota politics for years, and was amplified in a 2018 open letter posted to Facebook by two retired Minnesota National Guard Command Sergeant Majors, Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr, alleging Walz “quit” the National Guard in 2005 shortly after his unit was notified to prepare for deployment to Iraq.
They accused Walz of “betraying his country” and “leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging . . . as the battalion prepared for war.”
In response to the claims, the Harris campaign said Walz retired in 2005 to run for Congress the following year and touted his role on the House Veterans Affairs committee, calling him “a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform.”
In response to the claims, the Harris campaign said Walz retired in 2005 to run for Congress the following year and touted his role on the House Veterans Affairs committee, calling him “a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform.”
Some of Walz’s fellow retired Guardsmen have also come to his defense: Al Bonnifield, who served under Walz and described him as “a very caring person” and “very good leader” to Minnesota Public Radio in 2018, explained that Walz retired so he could run for Congress in 2006 and had been weighing the decision before the deployment was announced.
Joseph Eustice, who led the same battalion as Walz, also told the Star Tribune in 2022, Walz was “a great soldier” and speculated if Behrends is possibly holding a grudge because Walz was promoted instead of him.
Chief Critic
“When the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it,” Vance, a former Marine who was deployed to Iraq, said Wednesday. “When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq … he dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him.”
Contra
“After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he chaired Veterans Affairs and was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform – and as Vice President of the United States he will continue to be a relentless champion for our veterans and military families,” the Harris-Walz campaign said in statement.
Tangent
In a New York Post interview published Sunday, Behrends also suggested Walz falsely inflated his military rank by calling himself a command sergeant major throughout his political career, despite his rank being reduced to master sergeant since he retired before completing the terms of his promotion. Harris referred to Walz as “Sgt. Maj. Walz” while praising his background during their first campaign event together Tuesday, hours after she announced him as her running mate. Minnesota National Guard spokesperson Capt. Holly Rockow told Minnesota Public Radio in 2018 it’s fair to say Walz served as sergeant major since that was his rank at the time of his retirement in 2005, though it was retroactively reverted back to master sergeant because he retired before completing requirements associated with his promotion, the Harris campaign notes.
Key Background
Walz—a Nebraska native who later moved to Minnesota—joined the Nebraska Army National Guard in 1981 and retired in 2005 as a master sergeant, according to Military.com, citing his military records and a statement from the Minnesota Guard. Walz responded to natural disasters and was deployed to Italy to support U.S. operations in Afghanistan during his tenure, and he received several awards, including Nebraska Citizen Soldier of the Year in 1989. Walz simultaneously worked as a high school teacher and football coach during his time as a guardsman prior to his run for Congress in 2005.
News Peg
Harris tapped Walz as her running mate Tuesday and the two appeared for the first time together at a campaign rally in Philadelphia later that night, ahead of a multi-day swing state tour. Democrats hope Walz can appeal to midwestern voters in the crucial swing states of Wisconsin and Michigan. The GOP has aimed to cast Walz as a “far-left lunatic,” as the Republican National Committee described him in a statement Tuesday, while the Trump campaign called the Democratic ticket “weak, failed” and “dangerously liberal.” Walz developed a reputation as a centrist in Congress while representing a deep-red district for 12 years, bucking his party to vote to hold former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress and to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, though he signed legislation often championed by progressives during his second term as governor.
Further Reading
Kamala Harris Picks Tim Walz As Running Mate: Here’s What To Know About Him (Forbes)
‘Can’t Wait To Debate’: Walz Says He’s Eager To Face ‘Creepy’ And ‘Weird’ Vance (Forbes)
GOP Attacks Tim Walz For Calling Rural Minnesota ‘Mostly Rocks And Cows’—Here’s What He Really Said (Forbes)
2022 midterms, 2024 presidential campaign, the January 6 House committee investigation, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster, the 2023 State of the Union Address, former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference and classified documents cases and his Manhattan hush money case. Dorn graduated in 2012 from the University of Dayton with a degree in journalism. Prior to joining Forbes, she covered New York City and state politics for the New York Post and City and State magazine. Follow her for updates and analysis on the 2024 presidential race, key Senate and House races and developments in Congress and at the White House.
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