J.D. Vance accuses Tim Walz of 'stolen valor' over military record

By 
 August 7, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris made headlines this week when she chose Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate.

While Walz has touted his time in the military, there are now growing questions over the governor's service record. 

National Guard spokesperson says Walz did not retire as an E-9

As Breitbart recently noted in an article published this week, Walz's official biography states, "After 24 years in the Army National Guard, Command Sergeant Major Walz retired from the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in 2005."

However, that claim doesn't line up with a statement provided by Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, who serves in the Minnesota National Guard’s State Public Affairs Office.

She explained that Walz did not leave the National Guard with the rank of E-9, saying, "He retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy."

Meanwhile, Breitbart recalled how in November of 2018, retired Army Command Sergeant Majors Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr wrote a letter to the West Central Tribune in which they cast further doubt on Walz's background.

Two former soldiers say Walz lied about why he left military

"On September 17th, 2004 he was conditionally promoted to Command Sergeant Major," the two former soldiers remarked.

"The conditions had been outlined to him when he was counseled and he signed the Statement of Agreement and Certification. If the conditions are not met, the promotion is null and void, like it never happened," they explained.

Behrends and Herr then went on to allege that Walz quit the National Guard in May of 2005 so he could avoid deploying to Iraq.

"His excuse to other leaders was that he needed to retire in order to run for congress. Which is false, according to a Department of Defense Directive, he could have run and requested permission from the Secretary of Defense before entering active duty; as many reservists have," they complained.

J.D. Vance: "I did what they asked me to do"

Meanwhile, Fox News reported on Thursday that Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance is accusing Walz of having committed "stolen valor."

"As a marine who served his country in uniform when the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it," Vance told reporters at a campaign event in Michigan on Tuesday.

"I did what they asked me to do it, and I did it honorably," Vance continued before adding, "When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did?"

"He dropped out of the army and allowed his unit to go without him, a fact that he's been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people that he served with," the senator declared.

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