CINCINNATI (AP) — Republicans are questioning Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s military record after Vice President Kamala Harris named him her running mate this week.
Here’s a look at the problem:
He retired before his unit was deployed to Iraq.
Walz served for a total of 24 years in various units and positions in the Army National Guard. But his retirement in 2005 has drawn criticism from some Republicans, who say he left his team to run for Congress.
As he prepared to run for Congress in 2005, Walz’s campaign issued a statement in March saying he intended to continue running despite a possible mobilization of Minnesota National Guard soldiers in Iraq. According to the National Guard, Walz retired from the service in May of that year.
In August 2005, the U.S. Department of the Army issued a mobilization order for Walz’s unit. The unit mobilized in October of that year before deploying to Iraq in March 2006.
There is no evidence that Walz planned his departure to avoid deployment, but the fact is that he left before his unit was due to leave. In a statement, the Harris campaign rejected Republicans’ characterization of Walz’s service and also noted that he had advocated for veterans after being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
“After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he chaired the Veterans Affairs Committee 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 tireless champion for our veterans and military families,” the campaign said.
Before leaving Detroit, where she and Walz stressed their support for unions, Harris responded to a question Thursday about criticism of her running mate’s track record.
“Look, I commend everyone who has stepped forward to serve our country,” she said. “And I think we all should.”
Walz did not serve in a combat zone
Earlier this week, Harris’ campaign on X shared a 2018 clip in which Walz spoke out against gun violence, saying, “We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war are the only place those weapons are.” This comment suggests that Walz was portraying himself as someone who has spent time in a combat zone.
According to the Nebraska Army National Guard, Walz enlisted as an infantryman in April 1981 – just two days after his 17th birthday – and completed a 12-week Army basic infantry course before graduating from high school.
While attending the University of Houston, he was reclassified as a field artillery gunner in 1985 as a member of the Texas Army National Guard and later served as an instructor in the Arkansas Army National Guard.
In 1987, Walz returned to the Nebraska National Guard and continued his field artillery duties while completing college studies. In 1996, he transferred to the Minnesota Army National Guard. In 2003, he was deployed to Italy to support busy duty forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, but was not deployed to a combat zone himself.
“Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not,” Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance said Wednesday at his campaign rally in Michigan. “I would be ashamed to say that I lied about my military service like you did.”
Vance joined the Marine Corps after graduating from high school, served for four years as a combat correspondent – ​​a type of military journalist – and was deployed to Iraq in that capacity in 2005.
Neither Trump nor Harris have served in the U.S. military. Trump received a number of deferments during the Vietnam War, including one granted with a doctor’s note stating that he suffered from bone spurs in his feet.
Harris’ campaign statement said Walz would “never insult or belittle any American’s service to this country” and “thank Senator Vance for risking his life for our country. That is the American way.”
What about his rank?
Harris’ campaign described Walz as a “retired command sergeant major,” one of the highest ranks for an enlisted soldier. He did indeed attain that rank, but personnel records show that he was demoted months after his retirement, leaving him with a paycheck-based rank of master sergeant.
Minnesota National Guard officials have said Walz retired before completing training at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy and other requirements related to his promotion.
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Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Trenton Daniel and Richard Lardner contributed to this report.
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You can reach Meg Kinnard at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
