On Wednesday, the Minnesota National Guard revealed that Governor Tim Walz, who has long claimed to have retired as a command sergeant major, was actually demoted from that rank. This disclosure contradicts years of statements made by Walz and his official gubernatorial biography.
According to Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, the Minnesota Army National Guard’s State Public Affairs Officer, Walz briefly held the title of command sergeant major but “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,” as reported by Just The News.
Walz has long emphasized his extensive military background with the Army National Guard, where he served from 1981 until his retirement in 2005. Enlisting in Nebraska, he held various posts across the U.S. and internationally, including training in extreme environments like the Arctic Circle. But during his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, Walz’s military records and career decisions came under intense scrutiny. Two retired senior Minnesota National Guard officials noted that Walz chose to retire shortly before his battalion was scheduled to deploy to Iraq, raising concerns about his commitment to duty.
“I needed to hit the ground running and take care of the troops — and tell them we were going to war,” Thomas Behrends, who would take charge of 500 troops after being tapped to go in Walz’s place, told the New York Post. “For a guy in that position, to quit is cowardice.” He added: “When your country calls, you are supposed to run into battle — not the other way. He ran away. It’s sad. He had the opportunity to serve his country, and said ‘Screw you’ to the United States. That’s not who I would pick to run for vice president.”
Sen. J.D. Vance, who saw combat in Iraq as a U.S. Marine officer, also criticized Walz for his past portrayal of his alleged service. Specifically, Vance went after Walz’s military record for a “stolen valor” claim about being in “combat” though he actually abandoned his unit and left the Army rather than deploy with his men to Iraq.
A reporter asked, “Last night, the governor suggested that because of your Ivy League education and your Silicon Valley backing of your political career, you are part of the elite. What are your first impressions of them trying to frame you this way to the American public?”
It should be noted, first and foremost, that the vast majority of Silicon Valley billionaires are donating to the Harris-Walz campaign, but here’s what Vance said in response: “Well, look, I came from a family where nobody had ever gone to law school. I grew up in a poor family. The fact that Tim Walz wants to turn it into a bad thing, that I worked my way through college and law school and made something of myself, is, to me, the American dream. If Tim Walz wants to insult that, I think that’s frankly pretty bizarre.”
He then pivoted to Walz’s military record: “Now, what really bothers me about Tim Walz isn’t even the positions he’s taken, though certainly he has been a far-left radical. What really bothers me about Tim Walz, as a Marine who served his country in uniform, is 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. I did what they asked me to do, and I did it honorably and I’m very proud of that service.
“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 he’s been criticized for aggressively by many of the people he served with. I think it’s shameful to prepare your unit to go to Iraq, to make a promise that you’re going to follow through, and then to drop out right before you actually have to go,” Vance continued.
“I also think it’s dishonest. If you guys ever get an opportunity to ask Tim Walz or Kamala Harris some questions, he made this interesting comment that the Kamala Harris campaign put out there—and I bet they regret putting it out there now—because he said that we, and he was making a point about gun control, ‘shouldn’t allow weapons that I used in war to be on America’s streets,’” he said.
“Well, I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? What was this weapon you carried into war, given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq, and you have not spent a day in a combat zone? What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you’re not. If he wants to criticize me for getting an Ivy League education, I’m proud of the fact that my family supported me, that I was able to make something of myself. I’d be ashamed if I were him and lied about my military service like he did.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.