The gods of irony are always up and taking calls. Fifty House Republicans signed a letter accusing Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz of stolen valor by misrepresenting his military service. At least two of the signers of that letter from Texas have misrepresented their own records.
“There is no honor in lying about your service,” the letter reads.
The letter was written on behalf of former president, convicted felon, and current Republican nominee Donald Trump.
In the initial version of the letter, Rep. Ronnie Jackson (R-Amarillo) signed himself as a retired rear admiral of the U.S. Navy. While it is true that is the rank Jackson initially retired at that rank following a promotion by former President Barack Obama after Jackson became White House physician, he has since been retroactively demoted. A Senate investigation found he sexually harassed subordinates, abused the sleep drug Ambien, and wrecked a government vehicle. Jackson’s current rank and pay are as a captain.
The Trump campaign later abridged the letter without the formal ranks of the signers, ascribing the error to a copy mistake.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Fulshear) at least listed his rank accurately, a major in the U.S. Army Reserves. However, he has also been under scrutiny for possible stolen valor. Nehls would regularly wear a Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) he was awarded in 2008 for his deployment to Afghanistan.
The badge is only supposed to be awarded to those who serve in active combat, which Nehls never did. His right to wear it was rescinded in 2023, though he continued to do so.
The letter Nehls signed also says it is not honorable to claim to have carried weapons “’in war’ when you had not served in war.” One could argue that wearing a badge denoting combat experience when the wearer has not actually served in combat is roughly equivalent.
The accusations against Walz for misrepresenting his record are mostly unfounded. Walz served in the Nebraska and Minnesota National Guards for 24 years, retiring in May 2005 to run for congress. Ohio Senator and current Republican vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance, who served in Iraq as a Marine as a correspondent, has accused Walz of abandoning his guard unit just as they were about to be deployed to the Middle East.
While it’s true Walz’s retirement was approved after his unit received a notification of a possible deployment, Walz filed the paperwork for retirement a month prior to the notification, and there is no evidence that fear of deployment was a factor.
There have been some questions about his rank. Walz has said he served as a command sergeant major, one of the highest enlisted ranks. That rank was demoted following his retirement to master sergeant for benefits purposes. While he did achieve the rank while serving, he failed to complete his U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy coursework before retiring. That said, the Minnesota National Guard has stated that Walz’s claim of serving as a command sergeant major is legitimate.
