VP Candidate Walz's Military Record Faces Scrutiny

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Facts

• Democratic vice presidential candidate for the 2024 US election Tim Walz is facing criticism over his military service record, including where he served and what rank he achieved.^[1]
• The latest controversy was sparked by a video of Walz talking about his support for gun control, during which he claimed that he carried weapons 'in war.' Critics pointed out that while he did deploy during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, he was deployed to Norway and Italy.^[2]
• His Republican vice presidential rival JD Vance, who also served but never saw combat, accused him of 'abandon[ing] [his] unit right before they went to Iraq,' referring to Walz's retirement two months before his unit was ordered to deploy.^[3]
• Walz, who served in both the Nebraska and Minnesota National Guards for a combined 24 years, retired in 2005 while running for Congress. A statement from his website at the time said he was prepared to deploy, with others arguing that his retirement would've had to have been approved by a superior officer.^[2][1]
• Walz has also been criticized because he and presidential candidate Kamala Harris' campaign website stated that he was a 'retired Command Sergeant Major.' However, they later revised it to say he 'served as a command sergeant major,' as he didn't complete all the requirements before retiring.^[4]

Sources: ^[1]CBS, ^[2]The Telegraph, ^[3]NPR Online News and ^[4]FOX News.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Federalist. Walz has been exaggerating his military record for almost two decades to boost his political profile. He's lied about his military rank and even tricked voters into thinking he engaged in combat in the Middle East. Walz has strategically and covertly pushed these lies for electoral purposes since 2006, prompting Kamala's campaign staff to revise their website. It's now Walz's turn to step up and take accountability for committing stolen valor.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. The only thing Walz is guilty of is mistakenly being too vague in the biography section of his campaign website in 2006 — and he's dealt with incessant smear campaigns from Republicans ever since. For years Walz has bent over backward to ensure people know which rank he retired from and that he served in Italy, not Iraq or Afghanistan. There is too much at stake for Republicans to continue bothering voters with these disingenuous attacks.

Predictions