As concerns about “stolen value” recirculated, Ohio Senator JD Vance hit back at the “absolutely disgraceful” allegations about what Minnesota Governor Tim Walz did before his battalion was deployed to Iraq.
Vice Presidential running mate Kamala Harris' radical policy record wasn't all that was under scrutiny Tuesday, when the longtime politician joined the Democratic Party ticket. Now seeking to fill the nation's second-highest office, the governor's fitness for office was called into question by the timing and nature of his retirement from the Minnesota National Guard.
“I mean, your job as a discharge boy in a unit is to keep your people safe. That's not a job you can quit with notice,” Vance told the Daily Mail. Having served with the United States Marine Corps, Sen added“So if he abandoned his troops before going to Iraq or wherever … absolutely shameful.”
The Republican vice presidential nominee made additional comments while taking questions from the press in Shelby County, Michigan, challenging, “Well, I'm wondering, Tim Walz, when were you ever at war?”
“What was this weapon that you brought to war given that you left your unit right before they went to Iraq? And it hasn't spent a day in a combat zone,” Vance charged. “What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen garbage. Don't pretend to be something you're not. And if he wants to criticize me for getting an Ivy League education, I'm proud of the fact that my mom supported me, that I was able to make something of myself. I'd be ashamed if I were him and lied about my military service like he did.”
.@JDVance: “What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen garbage. Don't pretend to be something you're not… I'd be ashamed if I were him and lied about my military service like he did.” pic.twitter.com/ysXxQYsx73
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 7, 2024
The allegations against Walz predate his initial run for Congress in the 2006 midterms, a year after he retired as a master sergeant for benefits, having reached the rank of command sergeant major but without completing the additional courses.
According to a 2018 Facebook post by retired Command Sergeant Major Thomas Behrends, the man who succeeded Walz, “Early in 2005, a warning order was issued to the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion, which included the position he was serving in, to prepare to mobilize for active duty for a deployment to Iraq.”
“On May 16, 2005 he resigned, taking his country, leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging; without his senior NCO, while the battalion prepared for war,” Behrends continued.
He continued those accusations as Walz pursued re-election to governor in 2022 as he joined former state Sen. Scott Jensen and other veterans in criticizing pre-deployment retirement.
The response to the allegations included what de Behrends said during a Medal of Honor dedication, as reported per the Star Tribune, “I don't know if Tom disagrees with my politics or whatever, but my record speaks for itself and my accomplishments in uniform speak for themselves, and so do a lot of people in this crowd, with whom I served . It's unfortunate.”
It had also been suggested that the reason for his resignation was because he was deciding to run for Congress.
Similarly, in 2006 Walz answered to criticism from Iraq War veteran Tom Hagen, who co-authored a letter to the Winona Daily News about the politician's retirement, calling his claims “lies,” as he cited his campaign website bio that read, “Walz served overseas with his battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.” The detail referred to his service in Italy.
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