Walz Failed to Correct Pelosi When She Praised Service 'on Battlefield'
Vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz finds himself amid a contentious debate over his military service following remarks by Nancy Pelosi and JD Vance.
Accusations of "stolen valor" are swirling around Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, Tim Walz, after Republican criticism and a resurfaced mischaracterization that went uncorrected, as the New York Post reports.
Walz, a 60-year-old former member of the Minnesota National Guard, has never been deployed to an active war zone. His military background came under renewed scrutiny after Nancy Pelosi’s comments from 2007 during a press conference resurfaced in which she inaccurately praised him for his service "on the battlefield." Walz did not correct Pelosi’s statement at the time.
During the same event, a mislabeling by C-SPAN compounded the error, incorrectly identifying Walz as an "Afghanistan War Veteran." This label has contributed to ongoing controversies surrounding the authenticity of his military claims.
Walz's military record includes deployments to Italy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and to Norway in support of NATO. These assignments, while significant, did not involve direct combat roles or deployment in war zones.
JD Vance Raises Questions About Walz's Military Claims
Amid the 2024 election campaign, JD Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, criticized Walz for allegedly abandoning his unit as they prepared for deployment to Iraq. Vance highlighted discrepancies in Walz’s narrative, questioning the authenticity of his military experiences.
Further intensifying the scrutiny, Walz inaccurately referred to himself as a "command sergeant major" during a press conference, despite having retired as a master sergeant. This misstatement has been used to question his credibility further.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to the criticisms by adjusting Walz's official biography, removing references to him being a retired "command sergeant major," which reflects his actual rank of master sergeant upon retirement.
Nancy Pelosi's Misstatement of Service
In her 2007 statement, Pelosi expressed gratitude towards Walz for his dual roles in education and the military, saying, “He will speak for himself, but I want him to know how much we all appreciate his service to our country, whether it’s in the classroom or on the battlefield.” Walz's response did not address the inaccuracies, thanking Pelosi for her recognition.
This mischaracterization was not corrected at the time, leading to part of the confusion and subsequent controversy over the veracity of Walz’s service claims in public and political spheres.
Walz himself has defended his record, emphasizing his role in the military as oriented towards personnel care, stating, “As someone who’s spent their entire military career as an enlisted person, my job as a command sergeant major or as a first sergeant was solely to take care of these troops.”
Reactions to Military Service Controversy
Vance vehemently criticized Walz's portrayal of his military experience, particularly taking issue with his claims about carrying “weapons of war.” He accused Walz of "stolen valor," a serious charge that questions the integrity of Walz’s public military narrative.
Amid these criticisms, Harris has attempted to sidestep the controversy by defending the broader principle of valuing military service, stating, “Listen, I praise anyone who has presented themselves to serve our country. And I think that we all should.”
The controversy brings to light the broader issues of military service representation in politics and the responsibilities of public figures to maintain accuracy in their public statements and records.
