‘Stolen Valor’: Veterans in Congress Blast Walz for Lying about Military Record

Minnesota’s Democratic governor is taking heat over accusations of stolen valor — this time from military veterans in Congress. Since Friday, 50 congressional Republicans who served in the U.S. armed forces have signed an open letter to Governor Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, upbraiding Walz for lying about his military rank and record.

“The Office of the Vice President is a position that requires the trust of the American people and a solemn commitment to duty on behalf of the United States of America. As veterans who have served our nation, we feel compelled to address your egregious misrepresentations and urge you to come clean to the American people,” the veterans wrote, addressing their letter to Walz.

“You have stated that you are ‘damn proud’ of your service, and like any American veteran, you should be. But there is no honor in lying about the nature of your service,” the letter continued. “Repeatedly claiming to be a ‘Retired Command Sergeant Major’ when you did not complete the requirements was not honorable. Nor was it honorable to claim to carry weapons ‘in war’ when you had not served in war, and abandoning the men and women under your leadership just as they were getting ready to deploy was certainly not honorable either.”

Walz has been facing accusations of lying about his military record for nearly a month. Shortly after Harris named Walz as her running mate, Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), the running mate of former President Donald Trump and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who fought in the Iraq War, accused Walz of lying about his rank. The Minnesota governor has, for nearly two decades, called himself a retired command sergeant major, when the U.S. Army National Guard confirms that Walz never finished the required coursework for that rank and was, as of the day before his retirement, a master sergeant. Vance also noted that the Minnesota governor retired from the U.S. Army National Guard shortly before his unit was deployed to Iraq.

“As a Marine who served his country in uniform when the United States … of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it. I did what they asked me to do, and I did it honorably,” Vance said earlier this month. He continued, “When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him, a fact that he’s been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people that he served with.” The Republican added, “I think it’s shameful to prepare your unit to go to Iraq, to make a promise that you’re going to follow through, and then to drop out right before you actually have to go.”

Walz has also been criticized for referring in 2018 to “weapons of war, that I carried in war,” in a speech promoting gun control. “Well, I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? When was this? What was this weapon that you carried into war, given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq, and he has not spent a day in a combat zone?” Vance asked, adding, “What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage.” The Harris-Walz campaign was forced to admit that Walz “misspoke” when claiming that he had “carried” weapons “in war.”

FRC Action Director Matt Carpenter said in comments to The Washington Stand, “Walz is but the latest of national figures from the Democratic Party who have recently lied about or embellished their records.” He noted that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “lied about landing in Bosnia under sniper fire in 1996,” and incumbent President Joe Biden has a lengthy laundry list of lies. “Fortunately for Walz, many on the progressive Left have no qualms about how one ‘identifies;’ they’ll gladly call Walz a ‘retired Command Sergeant Major’ as long as he uses their pronouns,” Carpenter quipped. “Unfortunately for the Harris-Walz ticket, there’s no woke antidote to stolen valor and America’s veterans will not take too kindly to Walz misrepresenting his service.”

“It is very clear that Tim Walz is a considerably self-serving individual. The military is supposed to be based on the principles of teamwork and sacrifice not only for the nation but for the people that you serve with,” Lt. Gen. (Ret.) William Boykin, executive vice president at Family Research Council, told TWS. “The fact that he decided to retire rather than go on a deployment which would interrupt his personal plans does not speak well of his character. … The question that voters must ask themselves is, could they expect him to serve this nation sacrificially or would we get a repeat of this type of behavior?”

In their letter, the veterans in Congress continued, “To be blunt, when you falsely claim military service that did not happen and abandon your post, you diminish the real sacrifices made by veterans who did serve in combat. Military service is not merely a job or a uniform.” They further wrote, “The honor of wearing the uniform is earned through dedication, bravery, and an unwavering sense of duty. You have displayed none of these characteristics as you have lied your way through a political career launched on the foundation of a title you did not earn and combat deployments you did not take part in.”

“In short, our grave concern stems from the fact that the office of the Vice President is one heartbeat away from becoming the Commander-In-Chief. You’ve already demonstrated your unwillingness to lead in time of war and a lack of honor through your blatant misrepresentations exploiting and co-opting the experiences of America’s combat veterans for personal gain,” the letter’s authors continued. “As a result, America’s veterans and servicemembers are rightfully concerned about what would happen to them should you ascend to the Presidency. When America asked you to lead your troops into War, you turned your back on your troops.”

“You have violated the trust of our brothers and sisters in arms. Their blood, sweat, and sacrifice are the only reason our nation is able to exist. Until you admit you lied to them, there is no way you can be trusted to serve as Vice President,” the letter concluded.