Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, recently chosen as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, is facing scrutiny over his military service record.
During Walz’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign, retired members of the National Guard accused Walz of embellishing and omitting key facts about his career.
Retired Command Sergeants Major Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr alleged in an open letter dated 2018 that Walz retired from the National Guard shortly after his battalion received orders to deploy to Iraq, despite previously indicating he would participate in the mission.
“On May 16th, 2005, [Walz] quit, betraying his country, leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging; without its senior Non-Commissioned Officer, as the battalion prepared for war,” Behrends and Herr wrote.
The former Guardsmen claimed Walz’s reason for retirement – to run for Congress – was misleading. They argued he could have requested permission from the Secretary of Defense to continue his political ambitions while serving.
Behrends and Herr also pointed out discrepancies in Walz’s retirement documentation. They noted his official retirement document stated “soldier not available for signature,” suggesting a lack of proper procedure in his departure.
“If he had retired normally and respectfully, you would think he would have ensured his retirement documents were correctly filled out and signed, and that he would have ensured he was reduced to Master Sergeant for dropping out of the academy. Instead he slithered out the door and waited for the paperwork to catch up to him,” Behrends and Herr wrote.
Complications arose from Walz’s sudden retirement, particularly regarding his enrollment in the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy.
According to Behrends and Herr, Walz violated his agreement to serve two years post-graduation or promotion, resulting in his reduction to Master Sergeant shortly after retiring.
In a controversial move, Walz was seen holding a protest sign against President George W. Bush’s re-election campaign in August 2004, a month before his promotion to Command Sergeant Major. The military reportedly took no disciplinary action.
Walz retired less than a year after his promotion, nullifying the rank he had recently achieved. “It took a while for the system to catch up to him as it was uncharted territory, literally no one quits in the position he was in, or drops out of the academy,” Behrends and Herr wrote.
In November 2005, Walz reached out to his former battalion, offering to hold a fundraiser for their Christmas trip home. Behrends and Herr criticized this gesture as an attempt to gain favor with the soldiers he had previously abandoned.
Tom Hagen, an Iraq war veteran, also criticized Walz in a letter to the Winona Daily News, describing Walz’s retirement as “disturbing” and accusing him of abandoning his unit at a critical time.
“But even more disturbing is the fact that Walz quickly retired after learning that his unit —southern Minnesota’s 1-125 FA Battalion — would be sent to Iraq,” Hagen wrote.
Walz defended his record in response to Hagen’s letter, emphasizing his 24 years of service and re-enlistment after 9/11. He denied the allegations, stating, “There’s a code of honor among those who’ve served, and normally this type of partisan political attack comes only from one who’s never worn a uniform.”
However, Behrends and Herr pointed out inconsistencies in Walz’s statements. They noted that his official records show he re-enlisted for six years, not four, meaning his retirement date should have been September 18, 2005, rather than May 16, 2005.
The controversy over Walz’s military record raises questions as he embarks on a national campaign with Vice President Harris.