Harris' camp revises Tim Walz’s bio on website as 'stolen valor' claims spark scrutiny of military record

WASHINGTON, DC: The Kamala Harris campaign recently changed its biography of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on its official website. The modification involved revising the description of Walz's military service, which has been under intense scrutiny since he was nominated as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate for the 2024 election.

Initially, the biography stated that Walz was a "retired Command Sergeant Major." However, this claim has since been revised to indicate that he "served as a command sergeant major."

The updated biography now reads: “The son of an Army veteran who served as a command sergeant major, Walz was the ranking member on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, where he passed legislation to help stem veterans’ suicides.”

In contrast, the original version described Walz as “the son of an Army veteran and a retired Command Sergeant Major in the Army National Guard himself,” per archived versions of the website, Politico reported.

Tim Walz's background and military controversy

Vice President Kamala Harris’s announcement of Tim Walz as her running mate has sparked widespread debate, particularly concerning his background as the Governor of Minnesota, a former lawmaker, and his nearly 25-year service in the National Guard. When Walz retired from the Guard, he held the rank of command sergeant major, a senior enlisted position.

However, after his retirement, he was demoted to the rank of master sergeant. This reduction occurred due to his failure to complete necessary coursework at the US Army Sergeants Major Academy, which is a requirement to retire with the rank of command sergeant major. National Guard officials have clarified that this demotion was related to benefit requirements and a technicality.

The revision of Walz's military service description has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from Republicans. Senator JD Vance of Ohio, a Marine Corps veteran and former president Donald Trump’s running mate, accused Walz of engaging in "stolen valor garbage."

Vance asserted that Walz was pretending to be something he was not, saying, "Do not pretend to be something that you’re not." He continued, "I’d be ashamed if I was saying that I lied about my military service like you did."

"As a Marine who served his country in uniform when the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it. I did what they asked me to do, and I did it honorably," Vance said. "When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him, a fact that he's been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people that he served with." 

Clarification from the Minnesota National Guard

According to the Minnesota National Guard, Tim Walz’s unit was not given deployment orders to Iraq until July 2005, while Walz had submitted his retirement papers five to seven months earlier, ultimately retiring in May 2005.

Army Lt Col Ryan Rossman, the Minnesota National Guard's director of operations, explained that Walz held the rank of command sergeant major during his deployment to Europe with his battalion. However, because he had not completed the final course required for that rank, the Army retired him as a master sergeant for benefit purposes.

"He was technically a command sergeant major when he deployed to Europe with his battalion, but to retire as a CSM, you have to go through a final course, which he had not completed. So, from a benefits perspective, the Army retired him as a master sergeant (lower enlisted rank). But, according to National Guard records, he was a command sergeant major technically when deployed. The lower rank was as a result of benefit requirements and a technicality," Rossman said.

JD Vance’s relentless criticisms, defense from Kamala Harris's campaign

Senator JD Vance did not stop at questioning Tim Walz’s rank. He also took issue with Walz’s use of his military background in discussions about gun control. Vance cited remarks made by Walz in which the governor argued against civilian access to military-style weapons.

"He said, 'We shouldn't allow weapons that I used in war to be on America's streets.' Well, I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? When was this? What was this weapon that you carried into war, given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq? And he has not spent a day in a combat zone? What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage," Vance said.

In light of the accusations and ongoing scrutiny, the Harris campaign has come to Walz's defense.

"After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he chaired Veterans Affairs and was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform. And as vice president of the United States, he will continue to be a relentless champion for our veterans and military families," the campaign said this week, Fox News reported.