Republicans, including GOP vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, are investigating the military past of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz now that he has been named Kamala Harris’s running mate on the Democratic ticket.
Walz, who served in the Army National Guard, and Vance, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, are the first war veterans to lead a major party since John McCain in 2008.
Questions about the timing of Walz’s retirement before a possible deployment to Iraq were accompanied by a closer look at the characterization of his rank after his retirement.
What happened this week?
On Wednesday, Vance renewed attacks from a Republican opponent of Walz’s 2022 governorship over Walz’s decision to retire before his unit was deployed to Iraq.
“When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He left the Army and let his unit go without him — a fact for which he has been aggressively criticized by many of the people he served with,” Vance said.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded in a statement: “After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he served as chairman of Veterans Affairs and was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform. As Vice President of the United States, he will continue to be a tireless champion for our veterans and military families.”
Vance also lashed out at Walz for a comment he made, in an undated clip posted by the Harris-Walz campaign, about gun control when he said, “We can make sure that the weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war.”
According to CNN, Walz was deployed during his time in the National Guard, but never served in combat.
“Well, I’m just wondering, Tim Walz, when have you ever been to war? What was this weapon that you took to war?” Vance asked, referring to the clip posted by the Harris-Walz campaign.
A Harris campaign spokesperson responded: “In [Walz’s] In 24 years of service, the Governor commissioned, fired, and trained others to use weapons of war, countless times. Governor Walz would never insult or undermine an American in his service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for risking his life for our country. That’s the American way.”
Tim Walz’s military service
Walz served honorably in the National Guard for 24 years. He enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard on April 8, 1981 — two days after his 17th birthday — and served as an infantry sergeant and administrative specialist, the Minnesota National Guard said in an email to Yahoo News.
In 1996, Walz transferred to the Minnesota National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery. “He held multiple positions within the field artillery, including battery chief, operations sergeant, first sergeant, and culminated in his career as the command sergeant major for the battalion,” Minnesota National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Kristen Augé told Yahoo News.
On August 3, 2003, Walz deployed to Vicenza, Italy, to support Operation Enduring Freedom following the 9/11 attacks. “The battalion supported security missions in various locations in Europe and Turkey,” according to the Minnesota National Guard. During that time, Walz did not participate in combat and returned to Minnesota in April 2004.
In January 2005, Walz filed for Congressional office. Records showed that his candidacy was certified by the Federal Election Commission in February 2005.
According to a March 2005 press release issued by Walz’s office, the National Guard Public Affairs Office announced that month “a possible partial mobilization of approximately 2,000 Minnesota National Guard troops.” Walz said at the time that he was determined to remain in the race for Congress, despite a possible tour of duty in Iraq.
“As Command Sergeant Major, I have the responsibility not only to prepare my battalion for Iraq, but also to serve if called upon. I am committed to serving my country to the best of my ability, whether that is in Washington, D.C., or in Iraq,” Walz is quoted in the statement.
The upcoming deployment in Iraq in 2005
Walz retired from the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery, Minnesota Army National Guard, on May 16, 2005. According to the Star Tribune, Walz left the Guard to focus on his campaign for Congress.
On July 14, 2005, two months after Walz retired, his unit — the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery — was notified that it had to mobilize to Iraq, CBS News reported. The unit received an official mobilization order on August 14, and the unit deployed to Iraq in October 2005.
However, Walz has been accused of retiring from the National Guard to avoid being deployed to Iraq. When Walz was running for governor of Minnesota in 2018, retired Command Sgt. Majs. Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr posted a letter on Facebook accusing Walz of “embellishing” his military career in the National Guard.
“Between the time the warning order was given and his ‘retirement,’ he told Brigade Command Sergeant Major not to worry, that he was going on a mission. It appears that was a lie,” the letter alleges. Fox News and the New York Post reported that Behrends replaced Walz as command sergeant major for the unit when it deployed to Iraq in 2005.
Behrends and Herr also disagreed with the way Walz portrayed himself as a retired sergeant major, saying he had exaggerated his military credentials.
Walz’s retirement rank
Walz served as a command sergeant major, but after his retirement he was again promoted to chief sergeant.
“He retired in 2005 as a sergeant major on benefits because he had not completed additional courses at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy,” the Minnesota National Guard told Yahoo News.
Politico reported that the Harris-Walz campaign had changed Walz’s title from “retired command sergeant major,” which was incorrect, to what now says he “served as a command sergeant major,” which is correct. Yahoo News reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign, which declined to comment.
Vance’s military service
The Marine Corps confirmed to Yahoo News that Vance served for four years. Vance enlisted on September 22, 2003, as a combat correspondent under “James D. Hamel,” with his last date of service being September 21, 2007.
The Corps also confirmed to Yahoo News that he was stationed in Iraq from August 2005 through February 2006.
In his 2016 memoir, Vance described his service as a military journalist during the Iraq War. Elegy of the Hillbilly, in which he described documenting Marines and their work, mentoring civilian press, and doing community outreach to meet locals in “unprotected Iraqi territory.”
Vance told reporters at an event in Wisconsin on Wednesday: “I served in a combat zone. I’ve never said I saw a firefight, but I’ve always told the truth about my service in the Marine Corps.”
