The claim: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) on Sunday claimed that Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) is a “retired senior sergeant.”
RULING: ERROR. Waltz is not a retired master sergeant. He was promoted to master sergeant but was demoted to sergeant one day prior to his retirement because he failed to meet the requirements to maintain the rank of master sergeant. Therefore, he is a retired master sergeant (E-8), not a retired master sergeant (E-9).
WATCH — Sen. Duckworth: Republican attacks on Tim Walz are “despicable”:
Duckworth told ABC News this week“This man served 24 years in uniform. He’s a retired master sergeant. We’re pleased to have a retired master sergeant in the vice president’s situation room as we go through issues of conflict around the world. It’s great to have that experience.”
Waltz is not a retired Master Sergeant, but has claimed to be one since retiring from the Minnesota National Guard on May 16, 2005.
The rank and title of master sergeant carries weight because the master sergeant is in charge of the battalion’s non-commissioned officers. Waltz was promoted to master sergeant but did not retain the rank because he retired before the end of his contract and did not complete the Sergeant Major Academy. According to a statement from the Minnesota National Guard released on August 13, 2024, Waltz was demoted to sergeant on May 15, 2005, the day before his retirement. The statement reads (emphasis added):
Governor Tim Walz received his notice of retirement eligibility on August 3, 2002. He was promoted to Master Sergeant (E-9) on September 17, 2004 and immediately served as Master Sergeant with 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery while paperwork was submitted to the National Guard Bureau for appointment to Master Sergeant (E-9). With approval from the National Guard Bureau, he was laterally commissioned to Master Sergeant (E-9) on April 1, 2005. He retired from the Minnesota National Guard on May 16, 2005. Our records do not indicate when he requested retirement. All retirement requests are reviewed and approved by management. He was administratively demoted to the rank of first sergeant (E-8) on May 15, 2005 for failing to complete all required courses at the U.S. Army Sergeant Major Academy..
I received an email from a reader requesting a “link” to the Minnesota National Guard statement announcing that Tim Waltz had been demoted to Sergeant Major the day before his retirement. Below is the emailed press statement that I and other reporters received: pic.twitter.com/X5gSnHU6OD
— Christina Wong 🇺🇸 (@kristina_wong) August 18, 2024
Duckworth, herself a retired Army National Guard Reserve officer, should know the difference between the ranks of master sergeant and sergeant major, yet she continued to lie.
WATCH — US Veterans: Tim Walz Should Drop Out of Presidential Race Because He Lied About His Rank:
Matt Purdy/Breitbart News
But she appeared to try to shield Walz and explain away, saying it was “despicable” for Republicans to point out his lies.
“Frankly, what the Republican Party is doing is despicable. They are the party that thinks that Donald Trump, a five-time draft dodger, who thinks veterans are idiots and losers, is superior to someone who served in uniform for 24 years and protected and defended us every day,” Duckworth said.
She added: “And frankly, I have no problem with Tim Walz. In fact, I think he’s a very good thing for America to have in the Situation Room because he has a lot of military experience.”
Despite claiming to have been “at war” and not correcting himself when mistakenly referred to as an Afghanistan war veteran, Waltz never deployed to any war except for one deployment to Italy in 2003.
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