Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz (Democrat) has not apologized for misrepresenting his own service in the Minnesota National Guard, going so far as to suggest it’s unfair to criticize those who have served in the U.S. military.
During his campaign rally on Tuesday, Walz addressed the growing controversy and criticism that has surfaced after multiple videos and statements made by him and others about his military service during his time in politics. From falsely claiming to have “carried weapons in the war” to failing to correct the claims of others who claim to have served in Afghanistan, there is a clear pattern that Walz has followed.
“They’re attacking me because of my military history, but I just want to say I’m proud to have served my country and I always will be,” Walz said at the American Union of State, County and Municipal Employees convention.
“Thank you for your service, but I probably shouldn’t have lied.”
“Again, let me say this as clearly as I can: I am incredibly proud of my service to this country and firmly believe we should never disparage the military record of others,” he continued. “To anyone who has the courage to serve in uniform for our great country, including my opponent, let me just say one thing: thank you for your service and sacrifice.”
“Tim, thank you for your service, but you should not have lied. You never said you were in war when you weren’t. You never said you didn’t know your unit was going to Iraq. I look forward to saying more about that at the debate,” said Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance. said In response to Waltz.
Walz has come under fire for years for leaving his unit just before they were to deploy to Iraq, then running for Congress in Minnesota, after initially telling them he was being deployed. John Kolb, who would have been Walz’s boss if he had been deployed, recently broke his silence and blasted Walz for misrepresenting his military service.
“I have no regrets about Tim Walz’s early retirement,” Kolb said, because Walz’s replacement, Thomas Behrens, was an exemplary leader and exactly what the unit needed during its tough tour of duty in Iraq.
“I also have no criticism of his performance as an E7 and E8. [Minnesota Army National Guard]Records show he was a capable gunnery captain/gunnery sergeant and first sergeant. But I don’t remember him in uniform, [command sergeant major] “He never earned the rank of E9, nor did he complete any missions as an E9, and his continued insistence on 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,” Kolb explained.
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