By Michael Woyton
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance is hammering away at Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz’s military service saying the latter abandoned the soldiers he was leading as they were shipping off to a stint in Iraq.
What’s interesting and not a little sad about this is that Vance, who served in the military, has leveled accusations that are, if one is being generous, misrepresentations, or, if not being generous, out and out lies.
The effort to discredit Walz is being led by former Swift Boat Veterans for Truth Chris LaCivita. He was a consultant who helped sink John Kerry’s run for president in 2004, according to NBC News. Kerry is a documented war hero who was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and three Purple Heart medals.
Vance is talking about “stolen valor” and said Walz deserted his unit as it was called up for deployment.
The timeline, from MSNBC, shows something different.
Walz joined the National Guard just after turning 17 in 1981. He ended his military career 24 years later as a master sergeant in 2005.
The timeline shows that Walz signed paperwork to run for Congress in January 2005 and officially retired from the National Guard in May 2005, after which in July 2005 his former battalion received notification it would be mobilized. One month later, his former battalion was officially ordered to Iraq.
A campaign spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris said Walz retired after 24 years of military service to run for Congress, where the chaired the Veterans Affairs committee and advocated for the men and women in uniform, NBC reported.
The campaign didn’t deny that Walz embellished, in an undated video about gun control, that he carried “arms in war,” but said he “carried, fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times.” The spokesperson went on to say Walz thanked Vance “for putting his life on the line for our country” and that he would never “insult or undermine any American’s service” to the United States.
Vance worked as a public affairs Marine in Iraq doing community outreach, NBC reported.
While he was training others to use howitzers, Walz suffered from hearing impairment and was ordered in 2002 to appear before a medical retention board. The board cleared Walz to serve out the remaining years of his last six-year stint in the National Guard, according to MPR News.
On Second Thought 