The controversy surrounding Tim Walz’s military service record has resurfaced following his being selected as Kamala Harris’ running mate, with accusations of “stolen valor.”
Stolen valor refers to falsely claiming military service, honors, or awards that one has not earned, often to gain respect or tangible benefits. The Stolen Valor Act of 2013 makes it a federal crime to fraudulently claim receipt of certain military awards, with penalties including fines and imprisonment.
Tim Walz has consistently portrayed himself as “a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom,” the U.S. military operation in the Middle East initiated after the September 11 attacks.
However, it has come to light that never saw one single day of combat in Afghanistan, Iraq or anywhere else, for that matter. His service was primarily in Italy, where he supported NATO forces but did not see action in the Middle East, according to multiple sources, including Free Beacon.
The Tim Walz scandal is growing.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) August 8, 2024
It’s a lifelong lie and stolen valor.
Breaking Digest reported that an account linked to Kamala Harris released a video of Walz delivering an anti-gun speech. The video’s date and location are unclear, but it seems to be from a town hall-style meeting.
In the video, Walz stated, “I’ll take my kick in the butt from the NRA. I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. And I gave the money back. And I’ll tell you what I have been doing, I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can research the impacts of gun violence… We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war.”
Walz dropped out of the Army after his unit was deployed to Iraq.
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Gov. @Tim_Walz: I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can research the impacts of gun violence. We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war,… pic.twitter.com/3IVaXi2RP2
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 6, 2024
Later on Wednesday, a 2007 video of Tim Walz emerged, showing him falsely claiming he deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“I spent 24 years in the National Guard, some of that full-time. I was an artilleryman. I deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. My battalion provided base security throughout the European theater from Turkey to England in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan. And that same battalion is now in Iraq at this time,” Walz said in 2007 on CSPAN.
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STOLEN VALOR gets worse for Kamala Harris’ VP pick…
— Kylie Jane Kremer (@KylieJaneKremer) August 7, 2024
Here is @Tim_Walz on CSPAN back in 2007 on his military service:
“𝐈 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝟐𝟒 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐧.
𝐈… pic.twitter.com/j4JlWT5B1O
In 2009, Iraq War veteran David Thul confronted Tim Walz’s aides at his Mankato office about his military service claims. Armed with evidence, Thul recorded the encounter, pointing out that Walz’s statements could potentially violate the Stolen Valor Act.
During the confrontation, Thul informed Walz’s aides that such misrepresentations could result in jail time.
Thul presented evidence showing that while Walz served in a supportive role, he did not serve in Afghanistan or participate in any combat actions. One aide admitted she was “not aware” of Walz having served in Afghanistan.
Thul also showed a 2004 photo of Walz holding a sign that reads “Enduring Freedom Veterans for Care,” along with Walz’s website, to another aide, who acknowledged that constituents could mistakenly believe Walz had served in Afghanistan.
“Operation Enduring Freedom is limited to Afghanistan and the airspace directly above…” Thul explained during the transaction.
“This right here, under current US law, could get the congressman probably thrown in jail in violation of 2006’s Stolen Valor Act, which says it is a federal crime to portray yourself in writing or verbally as having received an award or decoration by Congress that you didn’t receive. Congressman Walz is clearly claiming in this picture with this sign to be an Enduring Freedom veteran. Nobody disputes the fact that he is not an Afghanistan or an Enduring Freedom veteran. So this represents a fairly serious issue,” he said.
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