Kamala Harris' VP pick Tim Walz's military record under scrutiny

AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson

• By Ezra Levant

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Minnesota Governor and Kamala Harris' VP pick Tim Walz's military service record has come under question, with the Minnesota National Guard contradicting his claims about his retirement rank. The discrepancy has sparked a debate about the accuracy of the governor's official biography and his representations of his military career.

A spokesperson for the Minnesota National Guard told Just The News that Walz retired as a master sergeant in 2005, not as a command sergeant major as he has repeatedly stated. The spokesperson explained that this was "for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy."

You know what really bothers me about Tim Walz?

When the US Marine Corps asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it.

When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, he dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him. I think that's shameful. pic.twitter.com/Dq9xjn4R51

— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 7, 2024

The governor's official biography on the Minnesota government website has long stated that he retired as a command sergeant major. However, fellow veterans have challenged this narrative, asserting that Walz "embellished and selectively omitted facts" about his military service.

Army Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, the Minnesota National Guard's State Public Affairs Officer, provided a revised biography of Walz's military service. It details his various roles and specialties during his tenure from 1981 to 2005, concluding with his position as command sergeant major for the battalion.

The controversy extends beyond the retirement rank.

In 2007, @Tim_Walz talked to C-SPAN about his military service: "I spent 24 years in the National Guard, some of that full-time. I was an artilleryman. I deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. My battalion provided base security throughout the European theater from… pic.twitter.com/igULhtIhgB

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) August 7, 2024

Retired Command Sergeants Major Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr have accused Walz of retiring shortly after his unit received a warning order for deployment to Iraq, despite allegedly telling military personnel he would participate in the mission.

Behrends and Herr claim that Walz's retirement on May 16, 2005, violated agreements he made upon enrolling in the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. These agreements included serving for two years after graduation or promotion and potential rank reduction for non-completion of the course.

The retired sergeants major assert that Walz's promotion to command sergeant major in September 2004 was nullified due to his retirement less than a year later, breaking the academy agreement. They state that Walz was officially reduced to master sergeant on September 10, 2005.