The controversy surrounding Tim Walz’s military service has resurfaced following his selection as Kamala Harris’ running mate, with accusations of “stolen valor.”
Stolen valor refers to the act of 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 specifically makes it a federal crime to claim receipt of certain military awards fraudulently, 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 Afghanistan initiated after the September 11 attacks.
However, it has come to light that Walz never deployed to Afghanistan, nor did he engage in any combat operations during his military career. His service was primarily in Italy, where he supported NATO forces but did not see action in the Middle East, Free Beacon reported.
The Gateway Pundit previously reported on a 2007 video of Tim Walz 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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In 2009, Iraq War veteran David Thul confronted Walz’s aides at his Mankato office regarding these claims. Thul, armed with knowledge and evidence, filmed the encounter where he pointed out that Walz’s assertions could be interpreted as violations of the Stolen Valor Act.
During this confrontation, Thul informed Walz’s aides that such misrepresentations could lead to jail time.
Thul presented evidence indicating that while Walz served in a supportive role, he did not serve in Afghanistan or engage in any combat actions. One aide admitted she was “not aware” of Walz serving in Afghanistan.
Thul went on to present the 2004 photo of Walz, holding a sign that says “Enduring Freedom Veterans for Care,” as well as Walz’s website, to another aide, who acknowledged that constituents could get the false impression that Walz served in Afghanistan.
“Operation Enduring Freedom is limited to Afghanistan and the airspace directly above,” Thul explained during the encounter. “Congressman Walz is clearly claiming … to be an Enduring Freedom veteran. Nobody disputes the fact that he is not an Afghanistan or Enduring Freedom veteran. So this represents a fairly serious issue.”
“Operation Enduring Freedom is limited to Afghanistan and the airspace directly above,” Thul told the aide.
“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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David Thul also shared a blog post in 2009 detailing his concerns about Walz’s military record. Thul echoed Rush Limbaugh’s ‘phony soldier’ comment from 2007, referring to the media’s tendency to quote ‘soldiers’ against the war in Iraq whose service and military records turned out to be false.
Read his blog post below:
I was recently elected co-chair of the Steele County Republican Party, but I am not writing in an official capacity. I am also a 17 year member of the MN National Guard, including a 12 month tour for Kosovo and a 22 month deployment for Iraq, but I am not writing on behalf of the MN National Guard or the US Army. I am writing as a combat veteran and a constituent of the Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District. My views and opinions are my own.
Tim Walz was elected to Congress in 2006, with a great story of being inspired to run after being turned away at a President Bush campaign event in Mankato. I left for Iraq in early 2006 and was then a resident of Carver County in the 2nd Congressional District, so I didn’t pay much attention to his election.
But when I returned from Iraq and became a resident of Owatonna, I found myself curious about my new Congressman. Looking at his website, I saw that he was a National Guard veteran like me, who ‘served with his battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom’.
Operation Enduring Freedom is the name of the US military operation in Afghanistan, so I was thrilled to learn I was being represented by a combat vet. Tim Walz is a retired Command Sergeant Major from the Minnesota National Guard, so I thought I had left one congressional district represented by a veteran (John Kline, USMC retired) and moved to a new one represented by a veteran.
It took me about two months to realize that Congressman Walz, contrary to the statement on his official congressional website, did not serve in Afghanistan. He served in Italy, in charge of base security. In order to understand this discrepancy, it is useful to know a little bit about military terms.
“In Support Of” means just that, a mission to support a major military operation. It is a vague term even among military members and the military itself. For instance, when I deployed to Kosovo in 2004, my military orders stated “Purpose: Operation Joint Guardian” – while my official discharge papers listed me as being “ordered to active duty in support of Operation Joint Guardian”.
Similarly in the civilian world, CNN listed service members who were killed in Afghanistan as having been killed ‘in support of the US led Operation Enduring Freedom”.
Just in the last week with the uptick in Afghanistan operations, 5 different military personnel that were killed in action were said by local news agencies to have died ‘while in support of Operation Enduring Freedom”. “In support of Operation Enduring Freedom” and ‘Operation Enduring Freedom” are interchangeable phrases, not only for the military but for the general civilian populace as well.
You can read more here.
