Democratic vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was demoted from master sergeant (E-9) to first sergeant (E-8) in September 2005, just months after retiring from the military, but has continued to claim his rank as master sergeant in political ads and on his official resume for nearly two decades.
According to a correction to his military record in official National Guard documents, Waltz retired from the National Guard as a master sergeant on May 16, 2005, but was officially demoted on September 10, 2005.
The Minnesota National Guard said Waltz’s rank was demoted because he had not completed the education and other requirements necessary to be discharged as a master sergeant.
Despite this correction, for years afterward, Waltz continued to claim the title of “Major Sergeant” and on multiple occasions falsely claimed to be a “Retired Master Sergeant.”
A full year after the correction, in a September 21, 2006, U.S. Congressional election ad, Walz’s campaign called him “Senior Sergeant Major.”
As of today, August 12, 2024, his official gubernatorial biography still lists him as “Sergeant Major Tim Walz,” giving the false impression that he is a retired Sergeant Major.
that state“After 24 years of service in the Army National Guard, Master Sergeant Waltz retired from the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in 2005.”
Since his rank was reduced on September 10, 2005, there have been numerous instances where he has claimed to be a retired Master Sergeant.
A thread containing numerous times Tim Waltz falsely claimed to be a retired Master Sergeant, even though he officially lost that rank on September 10, 2005. https://t.co/W3BJzbX6Hq
— Kristina Wong (@kristina_wong) August 12, 2024
Breitbart News reported this week that images had surfaced of challenge coins he had made while in Congress that bore exaggerated ranks.
Military Podcaster Angry policeman: Tim Waltz created a challenge coin that represents a higher military rank than he earned.
(Updated lead photo with actual coin)👇https://t.co/9dQqKUChUm via Breitbart News pic.twitter.com/c9GnJJl2eD
— Christina Wong 🇺🇸 (@kristina_wong) August 12, 2024
Waltz’s former battalion commander came out over the weekend to slam him for exaggerating the ranks he ultimately did not retire from. Lt. Col. John Kolb (Ret.) wrote on Facebook:
I have no regrets that Tim Waltz retired early from the Minnesota Army National Guard, did not complete the Sergeant Major Academy, broke his enlistment contract, or successfully completed one of his Sergeant Major assignments. Unconsciously, he gave way to greater leadership. Thomas Behrens was the right leader at the right time. He sacrificed to answer the call and left his family, his job, and his farming partner, his brother, to train, lead, and care for his Soldiers. He deserved the honor of being called a Command Sergeant Major. Like any great leader, he ran to the gun, not away from it. I have no opinion on Mr. Waltz’s decision to retire at that time. Early retirement was his right. I also do not intend to criticize his service as an E7 and E8 in the MNARNG. By all accounts and records, he was an effective Fire Company Leader/Gunnerman Sergeant and First Sergeant. The same cannot be said about the image of him sitting in the CSM chair, serving in full uniform. He was never able to achieve the rank of E9 or to successfully serve as an E9. His continued clinging to that title is an insult to the enlisted corps. You can sit in the cockpit of an airplane, but that doesn’t make you a pilot. Similarly, when the demands of the highest levels of service and leadership became a reality, he chose a different path.
The Harris-Waltz campaign initially introduced Waltz as “the son of an Army veteran and a former master sergeant himself in the Army National Guard.”
Now, the history of the campaign read“Waltz, the son of a veteran who served as a master sergeant in the Army, is the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee and has passed legislation to stop veteran suicides.”
Breitbart News reached out to the Harris-Waltz campaign on Sunday but did not receive a response.
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