Tim Walz faces backlash for implying his trip to Afghanistan as congressman was a military deployment

WASHINGTON, DC: Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has found himself under intense scrutiny over remarks that appeared to exaggerate his military service.

Walz, who has served as Minnesota's governor since 2019, has been accused of implying that a brief congressional visit to Afghanistan was part of his National Guard deployment.

Tim Walz's remarks on his visit to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan

The controversy began when comments Tim Walz made during a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks were brought to light.

During his speech, the Democrat reflected on his time in the National Guard and his visit to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, a trip that was, in reality, part of a congressional delegation rather than a military deployment.

Without clarifying this distinction, Walz said, "I had the privilege of serving in this state’s National Guard. And when I left, I had a 2-year-old, and when I came home, I had a 3-year-old. But as I listened to [Gold Star families speak] — the guilt. I came home and my daughter went on, and when you’re 2 and 3, she knew no difference."

The governor, who had deployed to Italy in a support role during the war on terror in 2003, continued his speech with a reference to his time in Afghanistan, saying, "And as our nation changed and as our political systems became more difficult for all of us to understand, I stood one night in the dark of night on the tarmac at Bagram and watched a military ramp ceremony." 

He added, "And if you’ve seen it … you don’t leave the same. And it makes you wonder, what are we doing?"

Walz retired from the National Guard in May 2005, just ahead of a planned deployment to Iraq. His decision to leave the service at this time has been viewed by some as a deliberate move to avoid deployment, a point that his critics have not overlooked.

He has said that he left the military to pursue a run for Congress in 2006, a decision that has become a focal point for those questioning his commitment to military service.

The video of Walz’s remarks at the 9/11 commemoration has circulated widely on social media, especially among conservative commentators, as reported by the New York Post.

Critics have pointed out that a prepared version of his speech, hosted on a Minnesota government website, included a more damning version of his statement: "I stood one night in the dark of night on the tarmac at Bagram Air Base in Iraq [sic] and watched a military ramp ceremony – a soldier’s body being loaded onto a plane to be returned home."

Republicans trash Tim Walz for implying Afghanistan trip as congressman was a military deployment

The reactions to Tim Walz’s comments have been swift and severe.

Former Illinois Republican congressional candidate Mike Koolidge posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Here are Walz’s comments before he mentions ‘going to Bagram’ (where he presumably went as a congressman—definitely not as a soldier)."

He added, "How can a casual listener hear this and not conclude he’s implying he deployed to war? He ‘went away’ and ‘came back’ To where? He doesn’t say."

Tom Elliott, the founder of the media company Grabien, echoed this sentiment, writing, "Walz visited Bagram as a congressman and doesn’t specifically say he was there on deployment, but it’s nonetheless clear he’s always hoping the casual observer presumes he was there on active duty." 

The most vocal critic of Walz has been the GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance. The Ohio Senator, who served as a combat correspondent for the US Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq for six months in 2005, accused the governor of exaggerating his military record.

Speaking at an event in Shelby, Michigan, Vance said, "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. When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, do you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him. … I think it’s shameful."

The Republican has also used the term "stolen valor" to describe his accusations against Walz, a phrase that carries heavy connotations of dishonoring the sacrifices of those who have served in combat zones.

"He has not spent a day in a combat zone," remarked Vance, before adding, "I’d be ashamed if I was him and I lied about my military service like he did. What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you’re not."

Clarifications from the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign

In response to the controversy, a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign, Lauren Hitt, clarified that Tim Walz was referring to his congressional delegation trip in 2008 when he mentioned his time at Bagram. However, this clarification has done little to quell the criticism from conservatives who argue that the Minnesota governor has consistently misrepresented his military service.

Further complicating matters, it emerged that in 2018, Walz made a pro-gun control speech in which he wrongly claimed, "We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war."

Hitt later explained, "In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke." 

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