Men who served with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, said Walz knew his unit was going to Iraq before he decided to retire in 2005, but some allege Walz had no idea about the upcoming deployment.
Alan Bonifield, a supporter of the Democratic vice presidential nominee, told reporters that Walz’s decision to retire weighed heavily on him because he knew troops were being deployed.
Bonifield, who met Walz in 1999, said in a 2018 interview that Walz was considering whether to focus on running for Congress or remain in the National Guard, according to MPR News.
MPR News report:
“He took his decision to run for Congress very seriously,” Bonifield said, “He loved the military, he loved the National Guard, he loved the soldiers he served with, so that was a very difficult decision for him to make.” “Especially knowing that we were going to be deployed to Iraq again. He certainly didn’t make that decision lightly.” [Emphasis added]
Bonifield too Said A News Nation reporter on Thursday called accusations that Walz retired to avoid deployment “bullshit,” but later acknowledged that Walz knew the unit’s upcoming deployment was “inevitable.”
Bonifield said the entire unit was convinced it was inevitable they would be deployed to Iraq soon. The orders hadn’t come yet, but they, including Waltz, assumed it was coming, Bonifield said.
“He told us he wanted to run for Congress. He was in a difficult position because he was convinced we were going to Iraq. We had no orders. We had no orders at all. At this point, he was convinced we were going and he was in a position where he was convinced we were going.”
Here’s where it gets more nuanced. Bonifield said he was convinced it was inevitable that the entire unit would deploy to Iraq soon. The orders hadn’t come yet. But Bonifield said he and others, including Waltz, assumed the orders were coming.
“He told us…
— Joe Khalil (@JoeKhalilTV) August 8, 2024
Walz’s supporters point out that he retired from the National Guard in May 2005 and that his unit was ordered to deploy in July 2005 and formally ordered to do so in August 2005. But troops, especially commanders like Walz at the time, typically find out about formal notices months in advance.
The Minnesota National Guard acknowledged “unofficial alerts” and notifications in an email to reporters, but told Breitbart News it had no information about when Walz’s unit was notified.
Joel Berry, a Marine Corps veteran and editor-in-chief of the Babylon Bee, noted that troops receive “warning orders” before they receive “alert orders” to deploy.
he Posts About X:
The media is trying to portray that Tim Waltz retired before he even knew his unit was going to deploy because he retired 2 months before he got his “alert orders” to deploy. What they don’t tell you is that units also receive what are called “alert orders” much earlier, months and sometimes years in advance. Tim Waltz resigned because he knew his unit was going to deploy to Iraq.
The media is trying to portray that Tim Waltz retired before he even knew his unit was deploying because he retired 2 months before the unit received “alert orders” to deploy. What they are not telling you is that the unit also received what are called “alert orders” much earlier – months before.
— Joel Berry (@JoelWBerry) August 8, 2024
Waltz himself said he was keenly aware that he would likely be deployed at least until March.
According to the Federal Election Commission, Walz first ran for Congress on January 5, 2005. documentand in March 2005 his campaign Sent out “Approximately 2,000 Minnesota National Guard troops may be partially mobilized,” the National Guard Public Affairs Office said in a press statement.
“The National Guard PAO announcement states that all or any portion of the Waltz Battalion may be deployed to Iraq within the next two years,” Waltz’s campaign said in a statement. In the statement, Waltz acknowledged that while he did not know if his unit would be deployed, as the unit’s top commander he was “responsible” for “preparing the battalion for Iraq” and “to deploy if called upon.”
He said, “As the Command Sergeant Major, I am responsible for not only preparing the battalion for Iraq, but also deploying when called upon. Whether it’s in Washington, D.C., or Iraq, I am committed to serving my country to the best of my ability.”
Despite this, he retired two months later.
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