Tim Walz actually did go to Iraq and Afghanistan—and then he worked in Congress to help veterans
Walz is what an American patriot looks like
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has done more for our veterans than Donald Trump, JD Vance, Tom Cotton, and all of Trump’s despicable enablers put together. Yet we’ve seen these people—led by Vance—smear Walz’s dedication to our country with lies like he “abandoned” his fellow National Guard members when they were about to serve in Iraq. In reality, Walz may have stopped serving in the National Guard in 2005, but he never stopped serving our nation and the women and men of our armed services.
In an effort to correct the record, let’s start with the headline that should appear in corporate media. Tim Walz did go to a war zone in Iraq. He also went to a war zone in Afghanistan. If you are asking: “What am I talking about?!,” it’s because the sheep of the corporate media all tell the same story without challenging the lie fueling it.
In his first term in Congress, Walz travelled to a war zone in Iraq as well as Afghanistan to speak to our troops and find out what more they needed in terms of support. As the headline of the Minnesota Tribune article from January 16, 2008 reads, “Walz visits war zones to study veterans' care system.”
Another local Minnesota paper wrote at the time, “Walz said the trip gave him a renewed sense of urgency to improve access to soldiers' medical records.” Walz—who is pictured in the article in both Iraq and Afghanistan speaking and dining with our troops—talked of the need to streamline databases so that active duty soldiers in these combat zones can get the care they need as well as making it easier for them to continue the care when back stateside.
Walz did not have to go, he chose to go to a war zone. In future years he would visit Syria and other places in the Middle East in times of tensions.
From there, Walz would continue for his entire time in Congress--from 2007 until he was elected Governor in 2018--being a champion for the members of the military and our veterans. Walz co-chaired the National Guard and Reserves Caucus, ran leadership outreach roundtables for veterans service organizations, was applauded by veterans affairs groups for his work on the VA panel, especially for focusing on mental health care issues.
One of Walz’s biggest legislative achievement in Congress was championing a bipartisan veterans’ suicide prevention legislation that became law in 2015. Through his work, Walz rose to become the ranking Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and served multiple stints on the Armed Services Committee.
Walz’s record of service to our nation, however, began well before running for Congress in 2006. Walz enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard on April 8, 1981, two days after his 17th birthday. Not long after, Walz was off to basic training in Georgia, on the first stop in a military career that would take him to Arkansas, Texas, the Arctic Circle and other places in the world. As Walz told a Minnesota radio station in 2018, "You go where you're told to go."
During his service, Walz responded to floods and tornadoes, specialized in heavy artillery and was recognized for his proficiency in sharpshooting and hand grenades as Minnesota Public Radio reported. In 1996, he changed jobs from the infantry to artillery and joined 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery in the Minnesota National Guard after he married and moved to Mankato, Minn. A year later he was in Norway on a training exercise for the National Guard—one of many times he had to sacrifice time away from his family in service of our nation.
Walz could’ve retired at the 20-year mark. In fact, he probably would’ve. But then came 9/11. That attack on our nation inspired him to re-enlist. In August 2003, Walz was deployed to Italy, Turkey, Belgium and Britain to support U.S. operations in Afghanistan under Operation Enduring Freedom--where he would remain for nearly 10 months.
But his time in an artillery unit came at a cost to his health. The deafening booms and shock waves from howitzer barrels left Walz with hearing loss in both ears. In 2005, he underwent stapedectomy surgery to alleviate the problem-- a procedure in which damaged bones inside the ear are replaced with a prosthesis. That was the year he decided to retire at 41 years of age and after serving for 24 years in the National Guard.
That is the American patriot JD Vance, Trump and their allies are smearing with lies.
Obviously, Trump is man devoid of honor. His entire life has been in service of himself. When Trump had an opportunity to serve our nation in the military, he refused—instead choosing to fabricate the medical condition of bone spurs. As a reminder, in 2018 the daughters of a Queens foot doctor say their late father diagnosed Trump with bone spurs to help him avoid the Vietnam War draft as a “favor” to his father Fred Trump.
And Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen testified before Congress that when he asked Trump for medical records during the 2016 campaign to substantiate the bone spurs claim, Trump told him not to answer any specific questions but rather simply say he had received a medical deferment. Cohen added that Trump “finished the conversation with the following comment: ‘You think I'm stupid, I wasn't going to Vietnam.’”
As to JD Vance’s allegation that Walz retired to avoid service, that, too, is a lie. As fact checkers have noted, in March 2005, Walz’s battalion had been notified about a possible deployment to Iraq within two years. However, Walz had filed his candidacy paperwork for Congress a month before in February 2005. In fact, as the NY Times noted in a 2006 article, “In early 2005, when Walz began seriously exploring the possibility of running for Congress, he underwent political training with Camp Wellstone, a St. Paul-based organization that aims to produce grass-roots progressive candidates in the mold of the late Democratic Sen. Paul D. Wellstone.”
Walz’ retirement was effective in May 2005. Walz’s former unit received an “alert order” for mobilization to Iraq on July 14, 2005—months after he had retired.
When it comes to Vance, he did serve in the US Marines as a combat reporter from Sept. 2003 to Sept 2007. He didn’t re-enlist. Instead, he went to Yale law school. And while Walz was fighting for veterans in Congress, Vance was hobnobbing with tech billionaires in Silicon Valley—who would later bankroll his run for US Senate.
On Tuesday, Walz responded to the Vance’s BS while speaking to the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees in Los Angeles. The 24 year veteran stated: “I was a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and a champion of our men and women in uniform. I’m going to say it again as clearly as I can. I am damn proud of my service to this country. And I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person’s service record. Anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent.”
He concluded with this line, to Vance: “I just have a few simple words. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.”
Walz is what a patriot looks like. Vance—along with Trump—are what the people who are going to lose the 2024 election look like.
‘He [Walz] concluded with this line, to Vance: “I just have a few simple words. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.”’
Now THAT is how you do it: You don’t denigrate another veteran’s service record, you thank them for their service — and you MOVE. ON.
Question is…will JDV take the hint? 🤔
As a Minnesota resident, a transgender citizen, and an honorably discharged military veteran, I could not be more proud that Tim Walz is my governor and our next vice president. The U.S. is lucky to have people like him in leadership positions. Tim Walz has done more for this nation than Trump, Vance, and all their republican lackeys combined. Gov. Walz is a good, decent, honorable man who will serve our country well as vice president. I am excited about voting for him and VP Harris on November 5th.