Tim Walz left National Guard battalion ‘hanging,’ ‘slithered out the door’ before Iraq deployment: vets
SUMMARY
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, now the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, has been accused by veterans of "embellishing" his military career and abandoning his National Guard battalion ahead of their 2005 deployment to Iraq. Retired Command Sergeants Major Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr criticized Walz in a 2018 letter, accusing him of retiring just before deployment, despite allegedly promising to join his fellow troops. The letter states, “On May 16th, 2005, [Walz] quit, betraying his country... leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging.” The veterans also claim Walz avoided proper retirement procedures, with his paperwork marked as “soldier not available for signature.” Despite these allegations, Walz has defended his service, stating, "I’m proud I did 24 years." Walz joined the National Guard after high school and later served in Congress, opposing increased troop levels in Iraq under President George W. Bush.
