Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, has faced questions about his military service. Fox News Digital has reached out to both the Harris campaign and Walz's gubernatorial office to ask why Walz did not complete coursework with the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy before retiring from the Minnesota National Guard in 2005, and both did not provide comment to explain the decision.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, has faced scrutiny over his military record.
Walz, a Democrat, served 24 years with the Army National Guard, retiring in 2005. He has repeatedly claimed to have attained the rank of command sergeant major, but Fox News Digital has found that he retired as a master sergeant, one rank below command sergeant major.
Gov. Tim Walz's Military Record Draws Scrutiny After VP Nomination
The Harris campaign initially dodged questions about why Walz did not complete the required coursework to retire with the rank of command sergeant major. However, after Fox News Digital pressed for comment, the campaign updated its biography for Walz to omit a reference that he is a "retired Command Sergeant Major."
Walz's military record has also come under fire from veterans who have accused him of "stolen valor." Walz has previously publicly used language suggesting that he deployed to war zones during his 24 years of service with the Army National Guard, including that he would like to ban the kind of guns he had "carried in war" and describing himself as a retired command sergeant major. However, Walz was never deployed to a combat zone.
Gov. Tim Walz's Military Record Draws Scrutiny After VP Nomination
The Harris campaign said last week that Walz "misspoke" when he claimed he carried firearms "in war."
"In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke," campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt told the media. "He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children."
Gov. Tim Walz's Military Record Draws Scrutiny After VP Nomination
Walz retired ahead of his unit – 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery – deploying to Iraq in 2005, and he launched a successful congressional run in Minnesota. Walz served in the U.S. House from 2007 until 2019, when he launched his campaign for Minnesota governor. He is currently serving his second term as the Gopher State's governor.
The Minnesota National Guard said in a statement last week that Walz "left the National Guard in May 2005 after 24 years of service. His unit was not given deployment orders to Iraq until July. He had put his retirement papers in 5-7 months prior to his retirement in May."
Gov. Tim Walz's Military Record Draws Scrutiny After VP Nomination
"Second, there are questions about whether he served in OEF," the statement added. "His battalion was sent to Europe, in his case Vicenza to train units in artillery – his specialty was artillery. If you are deployed overseas in support of OEF according to the National Guard you officially served in OEF, whether you touched foot in Afghanistan or not. That is in his official military service record below."
The controversy over Walz's military record is likely to continue as the 2024 presidential election draws near.
