Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz has recently come under fire for a long-standing misrepresentation of his military rank.
The controversy, which has been gaining momentum since Walz was selected as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, centers around Walz's repeated claim of being a "retired command sergeant major."
According to Fox News, Walz's military service record has been the subject of intense media scrutiny. The Minnesota National Guard veteran, who served for 24 years, has consistently referred to himself as a "retired command sergeant major." However, the Minnesota National Guard has clarified that while Walz did serve as a command sergeant major, he retired as a Master Sergeant in 2005. The reason for this was that he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.
Despite this, Walz has continued to identify himself as a "retired command sergeant major" and has not corrected others when they have referred to him by this rank. This has been highlighted in a video montage released by NOVA Campaigns, which shows Walz falsely claiming this rank 16 times since 2006, with several of these instances featuring the Minnesota governor himself.
In one of his old campaign ads, Walz is described as "one of those everyday people; coach to the state champs, teacher of the year, command sergeant major." In another instance, Walz is seen claiming to be "the highest ranking enlisted personnel to ever serve in Congress."
The video compilation has been widely shared among Walz's critics, with Minnesota GOP strategist Dustin Grage calling it "textbook Stolen Valor." Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Victor Joecks also weighed in, saying, "If @JDVance had one instance stolen valor this egregious, it's all the mainstream media would talk about it. @GovTimWalz stole valor repeatedly for nearly 20 years and the press wants to move on. No way."
In the wake of this controversy, the Harris campaign has updated Walz's biography on their website. Initially, the biography stated that Walz was a "retired Command Sergeant Major," but it now reads that he "served as a command sergeant major."
Walz is also facing scrutiny over the timing of his retirement, with allegations that he avoided deployment to Iraq. There have also been claims that he failed to correct those who incorrectly stated he served in Afghanistan, and that he falsely claimed to have carried weapons of war "in war." In response to these allegations, the Harris campaign stated that Walz "misspoke."
In a statement, the Harris campaign said, "In his 24 years of service, the Governor carried, fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times. Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any Americans service to this country in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. Its the American way." Despite these assurances, the controversy surrounding Walz's military rank continues to cast a shadow over his vice-presidential candidacy.
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