Pelosi praised Walz for serving “on the battlefield” in a resurfaced video

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota did not correct then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she praised him for his service “on the battlefield” in a resurfaced 2007 video.

Walz's claims about his military service and the timing since his 2005 retirement from the Minnesota National Guard have come under scrutiny from Vice President Kamala Harris announced him as his running mate on Tuesday. In the video, Pelosi and other House Democrats were debating a congressional resolution on the Iraq war while Walz introduced her, commenting on his military service.

“We're going to hear from Congressman — Command Sergeant Major — Tim Walz,” Pelosi said during the event on CSPAN video as she introduced Walz, then a first-place member of Congress from Minnesota. “And I was really moved by what Tim said. He said he's taught these young men in high school, and then he had to lead them into the armed forces. So, you know, he has the potential of the our young people and what we put at risk when we put them in harm's way without the equipment they need. It will speak for itself, but I want you to know how much we appreciate your service to our country, whether it's in the classroom or on the battlefield.” .

WATCH:

FLASHBACK: Tim Walz thanked Nancy Pelosi at a press conference in 2007, saying while introducing her that “we appreciate your service on the battlefield.”

CSPAN identified Walz as an “Afghanistan veteran.” pic.twitter.com/6HaKNyfKsf

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 9, 2024

Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the GOP vice presidential nominee, accused Walz of “dishonesty” while speaking at a campaign event in Wisconsin on Wednesday, citing comments Walz made in a video published to X for the Harris campaign in which he called for a ban on so-called “assault weapons,” calling them “weapons of war, which I carried to war.”

Walz served as a command sergeant major, but retired as a master sergeant due to failure to complete the courses required for promotion. seconds in the Washington Free Beacon. The Harris campaign scrubbed description of Walz as a “retired command sergeant major” from his biography on his website after his title was criticized.

Retired Army Command Master Sergeants Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr accused Walz of withdrawing to avoid deployment to Iraq in 2018. letter in the West Central Tribune that resurfaced after Walz was chosen as Harris' running mate.

“The end result of all this is heartbreaking and sad to tell. When the nation called, he resigned. He was unable to complete the United States Army Sergeant Major Academy. He was unable to serve for two years after from the completion of the academy, which he dropped out of. He was unable to serve for two years after the conditional promotion to command sergeant major,” wrote Behrends and Herr. “He failed the full six years of the enlistment he signed on September 18, 2001. He failed his country. Your status failed. He failed the Minnesota Army National Guard, 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and his fellow soldiers. And he didn't lead by example. Embarrassing.”

Retired Army Command Master Sergeant Doug Julin, who was the command sergeant major of the National Guard brigade to which Walz was assigned, criticized the Minnesota governor on September 26, 2022, interview with Alpha News, saying Walz secured the retirement in a “backdoor deal” after previously assuring Julin that he was willing to deploy to Iraq in a meeting in early 2005.

“Then, out of nowhere, in June 2005, Tom Behrends is the new one [command sergeant major]Julin told Alpha News.

The offices of Pelosi and Walz did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Latest messages from Harold Hutchison (see everything)

We have no tolerance for comments that contain violence, racism, profanity, profanity, doxing, or rude behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it, click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for engaging with us in a fruitful conversation.