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50 veterans in House, Senate ‘torch’ Tim Walz in open letter over his ‘stolen valor’

August 21, 2024 | | Print Article

The pressure on Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate to own up to having “lied” resulted in more than half of congressional veterans signing on to a scathing rebuke of “stolen valor.”

“You have violated the trust of our brothers and sisters in arms.”

Since Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was tapped to join Harris on the Democratic Party ticket, the portrayal of his service record left many concerned. While campaign surrogates and corporate media ran cover for the White House hopeful, the governor’s own silence on the matter had lawmakers demanding a response.

Led by Florida Rep. Brian Mast, 50 congressional veterans signed off on a memo directed to Walz that asserted, “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.”

Signatories included 46 members of the House of Representatives along with Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Rick Scott of Florida, and Roget Wicker of Mississippi as former U.S. Navy SEAL and podcast host Shawn Ryan shared the message and remarked, “The thing about stolen valor and lying about your service is unfortunately for @Tim_Walz it always eventually gets exposed.”

The memo specifically called out, “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.”

“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,” the veterans argued.

As had previously been reported, Walz retired from the Minnesota National Guard just prior to his battalion deploying to Iraq in 2005. Defenders of the Democrat politician argued that he wouldn’t have known about the deployment when he had filed his paperwork, but his former superior, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Julin, laid out a timeline reaching back months to conclude Walz “went back on his word and abandoned his men” after asserting he was “going forward with the battalion.”

“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,” said the lawmakers. “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.”

Joining in spreading the message that asserted, “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,” fellow veteran and Republican nominee for vice president Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who’d previously blasted his rival as “absolutely shameful,” stated, “You won’t hear it in Tim Walz’s speech tonight, but he has a serious problem with the truth. Proud of these veterans for correcting the record.”

Kevin Haggerty
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