Ohio Senator JD Vance has faced backlash after criticizing his direct opponent and Kamala Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz, on his military record.
Speaking to reporters in Michigan on Wednesday, Donald Trump‘s running mate accused the Minnesota governor of “stolen valor” for allegedly claiming that he had served in a war and for “abandoning” his unit.
While some members of the National Guard have accused Walz of embellishing his military record and of leaving his fellow soldiers behind before they headed to Iraq, Vance has since been attacked for his statements.
Newsweek has looked at Vance’s statements and examined Walz’s record to find out more.
“Weapons of war”
One of the main lines of attack against Walz was based on a remark he made at a rally that the Harris campaign shared on social media. Speaking about gun control, Walz said: “We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war.”
“Well, I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war?” Vance said.
“What was this weapon that you carried into war, given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq, and he has not spent a day in a combat zone.”
Walz has acknowledged that he never saw combat in the National Guard. Speaking to MPR News in 2018, he said: “I know that there are certainly folks that did far more than I did. I know that.
“I willingly say that I got far more out of the military than they got out of me, from the GI Bill to leadership opportunities to everything else.”
Walz’s military record states he served with the Minnesota National Guard from 1981 to 2005 at Fort Benning, Georgia, and New Ulm, Minnesota, obtaining the rank of Command Sergeant Major.
He was also part of European Security Forces in Vicenza, Italy, in 2003, during the War on Terrorism. However, according to his account and his military record, Walz did not serve in open combat, as the statement Vance made appears to suggest.
Newsweek reached out to media representatives for Tim Walz for comment.
“Abandoning” military unit
Vance also claimed that Walz had “abandoned” his troops before they went to Iraq “or wherever,” calling the decision “absolutely shameful.”
‘I mean, your job as a senior enlisted guy in a unit is to keep your people safe. That’s not a job you can switch out of on a moment’s notice,” Vance told DailyMail.com.
This seems to be a matter of judgment rather than fact.
Walz indeed left the National Guard in 2005, a decision that was criticized by other members of the National Guard.
In a letter published in the West Central Tribune, retired Command Sergeants Major of the Minnesota National Guard Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr said that in early 2005, a warning order had been issued to Walz’s Batallion to prepare for mobilization to Iraq.
“On May 16th, 2005 he quit, leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging; without its senior Non-Commissioned Officer, as the battalion prepared for war,” they wrote.
In a news conference in 2022, responding to Behrends, Walz said: “I don’t know if Tom just disagrees with my politics or whatever, but my record speaks for itself, and my accomplishments in uniform speak for itself, and there’s many people in this crowd, too, that I served with. It’s just unfortunate.”
Others have defended Walz. National Guard veteran Sergeant Major Joseph Eustice, who served under Walz, told NewsNation that Walz had “fulfilled his duty,” had “every right to leave,” and that the Minnesota governor was not aware of a deployment order as he planned for retirement.
“As far as I know, he did not know,” Eustice said.
“At that time, there were all kinds of rumors about us deploying. In May, when he decided to retire…we had no ‘Notice of Deployment,'” he said.
“That didn’t come until July.”
Eustice, who described himself to the Star Tribune in 2002 as nonpartisan and that he didn’t “care much” for Walz as a politician, added that Walz had been speaking for months about becoming a congressman.
However, the notion that he “abandoned” his troops before Iraq is a subjective assessment of Vance’s, as there is no evidence that Walz’s retirement was improper.
Newsweek reached out to a media representative for JD Vance for comment.
Vance served in the Marine Corps for four years, although he never saw combat. He served as a combat correspondent in Iraq between August 2005 and February 2006.
A number of military veterans have condemned Vance for attacking Walz for his military record. Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, a former commander of American ground forces in Europe, posted on X: “It’s unbecoming and unprofessional for anyone—especially veterans—to openly disparage anyone who has served in uniform.
“I’m personally very thankful for all who have worn the cloth of our country—for any amount of time—and who have served in our professional force.”
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut who was on the shortlist to be named Harris’ running mate, posted: “Hey JD Vance, did you forget what the USMC taught you about respect?”
