Vance, critics question Walz’s military retirement

( NewsNation ) — A 63-year-old farmer says he replaced Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz in the National Guard when the Minnesota governor retired months ahead of a scheduled deployment to Iraq.

Thomas Behrends told the New York Post he believes Walz is a “traitor” and a “coward” who claimed “stolen valor.”

“I needed to hit the ground running and take care of the troops — and tell them we were going to war,” Behrends told the New York Post . “For a guy in that position, to quit is cowardice.”

Behrends’ political affiliations are unclear.

Criticisms of Walz ‘s military service is the latest line of attack from the Donald Trump-JD Vance campaign. They come days after Vice President Kamala Harris chose the governor as her running mate earlier this week. Vance, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps., is the first Iraq veteran to appear on a presidential ticket .

“When the US Marine Corps asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it,” Vance posted Wednesday on X . “When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, he dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him. I think that’s shameful.”

Walz, a Nebraska native, enlisted in the National Guard out of high school at 17 and served 24 years.

The Harris-Walz campaign emailed NewsNation the following statement Wednesday:

“After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he chaired Veterans Affairs and was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform — and as Vice President of the United States he will continue to be a relentless champion for our veterans and military families. Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country —  in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way.”

Harris-Walz campaign

Walz’s unit, Minnesota’s 1-125 FA Battalion, deployed to Iraq in September of that year. His departure as a sergeant major has followed him throughout his political career, including during his initial congressional bid and again when he ran for governor in 2018.

In 2018, Behrends and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Herr wrote a paid endorsement letter to the West Central Tribune accusing Walz of abandoning his unit.

“His excuse to other leaders was that he needed to retire in order to run for congress,” the letter stated. “Which is false, according to a Department of Defense Directive, he could have run and requested permission from the Secretary of Defense before entering active duty; as many reservists have.”

NewsNation has reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for additional comment.

Trump’s military involvement — or lack thereof — has also been the subject of speculation.

Trump was diagnosed with bone spurs in his heels in 1968, which led to his medical exemption from the military during Vietnam, The New York Times reported . The podiatrist who diagnosed Trump has since died, but his daughter told The New York Times the diagnosis was a favor to Trump’s father. There was no paperwork to corroborate those allegations.

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