Right-wing media are reviving old smears pushed by political rivals of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz about his retirement from the military, accusing him of “stolen valor” and misleading their audience about the reality of his 24-year service record with the National Guard. Specifically, right-wing media are claiming that Walz resigned and “abandoned” his National Guard unit and resigned after the unit received deployment orders to go to Iraq when in reality, Walz resigned two months before the unit received orders, and Walz likely submitted his retirement papers even earlier.

According to a copy of his service record obtained by Military.com, Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1981 and reached the rank of command sergeant major before retiring in 2005, following a reenlistment after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. Walz retired honorably as a master sergeant — a lower rank than command sergeant major — since he did not complete all of the necessary coursework for the higher rank before his service ended. Walz went on to successfully campaign for Congress, where he served for multiple terms, helping veterans exposed to toxins during their military service, sponsoring a veterans suicide prevention bill, and advocating for more GI Bill benefits.

During Walz’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign, retired Command Sgts. Maj. Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr wrote a “paid endorsement letter” just days before the election accusing Walz of “abandon[ing]” his unit in order to run for Congress. Specifically, they claimed that he retired in mid-2005 to dodge a unit deployment to Iraq the following year. This smear was repeated by Walz’s gubernatorial opponent in October 2022. 

GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance, who wrote that he “was lucky to escape any real fighting” during his four-year stint in the Marine Corps, joined in on this smear today during a campaign event in Michigan. Vance said Walz “dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him.” Vance added: “I think it's shameful to prepare your unit to go to Iraq, to make a promise that you're going to follow through, and then to drop out right before you actually have to go.” Later, Vance said Walz “abandon[ed his] unit right before they went to Iraq.”

CNN correspondent Tom Foreman later debunked this smear after Vance repeated it. On CNN News Central, Foreman explained that Walz retired from his National Guard unit two months before it received orders to deploy to Iraq.

Additionally, one guardsman who served under Walz recalled an open discussion within the unit around his congressional campaign during a deployment roughly a year prior to his eventual retirement — further shattering the notion that Walz “quit" and left his unit “hanging” in an attempt to dodge a second deployment. The guardsman said Walz “talked with us for quite a while on that subject. He weighed that decision to run for Congress very heavy. He loved the military, he loved the guard, he loved the soldiers he worked with.” The guardsman additionally told Minnesota Public Radio that Walz used his position as a member of Congress to help struggling National Guard members.

Another guardsman who served with Walz has said that Walz “did nothing wrong with when he chose to leave the service” and stated that he was “a great soldier.” That same guardsman said that Behrends' smears “are ill-informed and possibly sour grapes by a soldier who was passed over for the promotion to command sergeant major that went to Walz.” The Star Tribune reported that Behrends was standing with Walz’s 2022 gubernatorial opponent as he repeated the smears about Walz’s service.

Despite the reality of Walz’s service and the context around his retirement, right-wing media figures have cited the six-years-old “paid endorsement letter” to revive the allegations that he “lied about his military record” and committed “stolen valor.”

• Radio host Erick Erickson gave up the game when he posted the “paid letter” and wrote: “Looks like it is time to bring back Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.” The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was a GOP political organization formed in 2004 to smear Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry with lies about his military service record. The man behind that campaign, Chris LaCivita, now works for the Trump campaign. [Twitter/X, 8/6/24; FactCheck.org, 8/22/04; Mother Jones, June 2024]
• The New York Post interviewed Behrends to push his smears against Walz. In an article headlined, “Tim Walz a ‘coward’ and ‘traitor’ for retiring from military before Iraq, says Guardsman who replaced VP pick,” the Post interviewed Behrends about his past paid endorsement of Walz’s gubernatorial rival. In the article, Behrends repeatedly attacked Walz and accused him of “stolen valor” for noting that he had been promoted to command sergeant major before retirement. [New York Post, 8/6/24]
• Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro quoted the Post interview to claim Walz “dropped out specifically to avoid going to Iraq.” [The Daily Wire, The Ben Shapiro Show, 8/7/24]
• The Daily Wire wrote an article about the “paid letter” under the headline, “Walz ‘Embellished And Selectively Omitted Facts’ About His Military Career: Retired National Guardsmen.” [The Daily Wire, 8/6/24]
• Newsmax host Chris Plante displayed the “paid letter” on-screen as he used it to attack Walz’s military service. [Newsmax, Chris Plante The Right Squad, 8/6/24]
• Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk posted the “paid letter” and suggested “Walz lied about his military record.” [Twitter/X, 8/6/24]
• Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton also posted the “paid letter” and quoted from it to question Walz’s military record. [Twitter/X, 8/6/24]
• Far-right social media troll Jack Posobiec falsely presented the 2018 “paid letter” as “BREAKING” news coverage. [Twitter/X, 8/6/24]
• Conservative CNN contributor David Urban posted the “paid letter” and wrote: “I urge the ‘media’ to investigate the letter (below) written by retired Command Sergeants Major of the Minnesota National Guard re: @GovTimWalz military service.” Urban added, “#TheTruthIsOutThere.” [Twitter/X, 8/6/24]