A video went viral on Wednesday showing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, claiming he served in war despite never seeing combat while serving in the military.
The clip, which the Kamala HQ account on X originally shared, featured Walz touting gun control before saying he carried a weapon of war in war:
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 do CDC research … We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons are at. [Emphasis added]
The Kamala HQ account repeated his claim in the post sharing the clip.
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
While Walz served in the U.S. military before becoming a school teacher, his military record shows he never served in combat. The prominent X account Stolen Valor, which tracks false claims about military service, pointed out the error:
To answer everyone’s questions about the video being shared. Governor Tim Walz’s service record indicates that he did not deploy to a combat zone. Instead, he was stationed in Italy to support combat operations. While all Soldiers carry an M4/M16 rifle during training, qualifications, and other exercises, there is no evidence to suggest that he “carried a weapon of war in war” as stated in the video.
To answer everyone’s questions about the video being shared. Governor Tim Walz’s service record indicates that he did not deploy to a combat zone. Instead, he was stationed in Italy to support combat operations. While all Soldiers carry an M4/M16 rifle during training,… pic.twitter.com/vGIsSv3asr
— Stolen Valor (@StolenValor1) August 7, 2024
As Breitbart News reported, Walz has faced accusations of “stolen valor” over his military record, with claims that he “listed on his official biography a higher military rank than the one he ultimately retired with, drawing criticism from some veterans”:
Walz served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and retired at the rank of master sergeant, or an E-8. However, on his official website bio, he lists a higher rank that he served at for a short period that ultimately was rescinded, as he did not complete all the requirements to serve at that rank. However, his bio implies that he retired at the rank of command sergeant major, or an E-9.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (OH) also took issue with some of Walz’s claims during a press conference on Wednesday:
When the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq, to serve my country, I did it. I did what they asked me to do, and I did it honorably. And I’m very proud of that service. When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him, a fact that he’s been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people that he served with.
“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,” he added.
WATCH — “Stolen Valor”: JD Vance Accuses Tim Walz of “Lying” About His Military Service
C-SPAN
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