Republican Senator J.D. Vance yesterday blasted Democratic Governor Tim Walz for canceling the U.S. deployment to Iraq so he could run for Congress.
Vance, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq, also accused Waltz of “stolen military service” because he suggested he had served in combat — likely a reference to the 2013 Stolen Military Service Act, which made it illegal to profit from fraudulent military service.
The comments came after a social media controversy erupted over Waltz's military record and the rank he held when he retired after more than two decades in the National Guard. The controversy erupted shortly after Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris selected Waltz as her running mate in November's election.
Harris' campaign defended Waltz, but he cannot explain his past or his comments.
Vance's speech
During a speech in Michigan, Vance directly attacked Walz's integrity and military record.
“When the United States Marine Corps, the United States of America, asked me to go to Iraq and serve my country, I answered the call,” Vance said.
I did as they asked, and I did so honorably, and I am very proud of that service. When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, guess what he did? He quit the Army and let his unit go without him, a fact that has been roundly criticized by many of those who served with him.
Vance said it was “shameful” that Waltz did not join the force as a master sergeant.
He also pointed out that Walz lied about his military record in a statement on gun control.
Vance said Walz “said weapons that I have used in war should not be on American streets,” and he noted that Harris' campaign probably regrets making the remarks public.
The Harris campaign released just such a statement from Walz: “I was in the Army for 25 years and I hunt,” he said.
I've voted for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can have background checks, we can study the impact of gun violence, we can make sure that weapons of war that are carried in war are only carried in war.
Vance fired back at Waltz with a ruthless rebuttal.
He asked, “Tim Waltz, when did you serve in the war?”
When was this… What weapons did he bring to the war when he abandoned his unit right before going to Iraq? He never spent a day in a combat zone. What bothers me about Tim Waltz is this “stolen heroism” rubbish phrase. Don't pretend to be something you're not. …I'd be embarrassed if I were him and lied about my military service like he did.
“I have some explaining to do,” Waltz said.
Vance is not the only veteran Republican to question Walz's performance.
Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret, said the same thing, adding that Waltz did not retire as a sergeant major, as The New American reported yesterday.
“I've seen the reports about Tim Walz's military record, and he has some explaining to do,” Walz said in a video outlining the issues with Walz's military record.
“There's been a lot of discussion in the veterans community about Gov. Tim Walz's military record, and I think it boils down to two issues,” Walz said.
One is the fact that throughout his political career, he has described himself as a sergeant major, the highest rank in the Army: He has been promoted to sergeant major, but to remain at that rank, he must complete specific training.
Waltz never completed his training at Sergeant Major School, as two senior sergeants explained in a paid letter to the West Central Tribune six years ago. Waltz was demoted to sergeant major before retiring. But Waltz said the bigger problem was “abandoning the soldiers who were ordered to Iraq.”
Waltz continues:
That's like a quarterback from a big team leaving right before they're going to the Super Bowl. I've never heard of anything like that. Especially the fact that he was a command sergeant major. I've never heard of a commander, a sergeant major, leaving his unit before going into the field. The media needs to do their job and ask these tough questions. And Waltz needs to answer them. For example, the veteran community is demanding an explanation for why he didn't do his duty as a command sergeant major and went into harm's way with the men he was leading.
Harris campaign official website
Setting aside Walz's “stolen heroism,” the Harris campaign said he rose to the rank of master sergeant and “retired as the highest-ranking National Guardsman in southern Minnesota.”
This would only be true if Sergeant Waltz was in fact the “highest ranking National Guard Soldier in Southern Minnesota” at the time of his retirement.
According to the letter cited above in the West Central Tribune, Waltz did not retire as a master sergeant.
Waltz retired from the National Guard in May 2005 to run for Congress, just before his unit was deployed to Iraq. “On September 10, 2005, Master Sergeant Waltz, who had been conditionally promoted, was demoted to sergeant major,” the letter states.
Walz's biography on the governor's web page, like that of the Harris campaign, strongly suggests he retired as a master sergeant.
