Fifty U.S. military veterans currently serving in the Senate and House of Representatives published a letter on Tuesday expressing their concerns over Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), falsely claiming that he retired from the Army National Guard as a command sergeant major.
In Tuesday’s letter, the 50 veterans who now serve in Congress questioned how Walz would be able to earn the trust of American citizens and service members if he could not tell the truth about his military record.
The congressional veterans explained that the office of vice president requires the “trust of the American people,” as well as a “solemn commitment to duty.” The lawmakers noted that as veterans of the U.S. military, they felt it was necessary to address Walz’s “egregious misrepresentations” and called on him to “come clean to the American people.”
“You have stated that you are ‘damn proud’ of your service, and like any American veteran, you should be,” the congressional veterans stated in Tuesday’s letter. “But there is no honor in lying about the nature of your service.”
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The letter added, “Repeatedly claiming to be a ‘Retired Command Sergeant Major’ when you did not complete the requirements was not honorable. Nor was it honorable to claim to carry weapons ‘in war’ when you had not served in war, and abandoning the men and women under your leadership just as they were getting ready to deploy was certainly not honorable either.”
In Tuesday’s letter, the congressional veterans said that by Walz falsely claiming to have retired as a command sergeant major and by retiring from the National Guard before his unit was deployed to Iraq, the Minnesota governor did not display the characteristics of “dedication, bravery, and an unwavering sense of duty” that are shared by U.S. service members. They added, “You have lied your way through a political career launched on the foundation of a title you did not earn and combat deployments you did not take part in.”
“When America asked you to lead your troops into War, you turned your back on your troops,” the 50 lawmakers added. “You have violated the trust of our brothers and sisters in arms. Their blood, sweat, and sacrifice are the only reason our nation is able to exist. Until you admit you lied to them, there is no way you can be trusted to serve as Vice President.”
