Stolen Valor?

I'll have more on the Democrat's new vice presidential "nominee," but first, some personal thoughts about National Guard service and deployments.

I’m sharing this from my Facebook site, which is slightly edited. I usually do the opposite, but where I come from, misrepresenting one’s military service is a character and integrity issue. It’s disqualifying for anyone seeking the public’s trust. It’s a big red flag.

I never served, and I never represented that I did. But my oldest son proudly serves and has combat deployed. He’s taught me a thing or two that I’m happy to share. I’m very proud of his service and that of others in my family, from World War II to Korea, Vietnam, and more. I honor all who have served and especially wear permanent scars from their deployments.

I’ll have much more to share about Gov. Tim Walz, his military service, his gubernatorial record, and how this all plays out shortly.

I hope my son, a First Lieutenant and Executive Officer (XO) for his Virginia Army National Guard brigade in Northern Virginia, is okay with me sharing this. He could probably craft his post or append this one. I suspect he will, as are many veterans reading about one former Command Sgt. Major Tim Walz as the Democratic nominee for vice president.

Lt. Gavin Johnston leads his platoon on patrol near Camp Simba in Kenya in 2022. His platoon would save Kenyan lives on one of their patrols.

Side note: There will be no convention vote of delegates on Walz's nomination, as there was for JD Vance at the GOP convention last month. This was part of the rules change made autocratically by Democratic party bosses when Joe Biden was practically forced to abdicate his nomination. Whoever Kamala Harris chose is automatically the nominee. It's pretty cool to have that kind of power. It's Venezuelan-style democracy.

Let me start by saluting anyone who serves in any National Guard unit, especially non-commissioned officers (sergeants, basically, with gradations). I salute Tim Walz for his 24 years of service. Perhaps the greatest strength of our military is our non-commissioned officer corps. They may not make the big decisions, but they make everything work. They are the great strength of our military, especially the Army.

He volunteered for his deployment when then-2LT Johnston finished Officers Candidate School (OCS). Deployments are like the Superbowl for soldiers, a chance to put months and years of training into working in defense of our nation. It's what they signed up for. Gavin combat deployed to Djibouti and Kenya for nine months. He's looking forward to his next one in a year or two.

By now, you may know the story. Command Sgt. Major Walz was notified in 2005 of his Minnesota National Guard unit's impending deployment to Iraq. He was the chief non-commissioned officer of his battalion—the senior enlisted official with some 800 soldiers under his command.

CSM Walz, who needed to complete a course to solidify his rank, instead chose to quit years ahead of his term of enlistment. He was preparing to run for Congress in Minnesota's first congressional district. He could have asked for permission to run while serving and deployed, but no, he didn't bother.

He quit. More than a couple of his colleagues were not impressed and, at best, needed clarification.

From all appearances, Walz put his political ambition over military service to his country. So far, neither he nor his campaign is talking. Maybe they think, wrongly, that this will blow over. He should know better and tell it all, tell it right now, and tell it himself.

Maybe he disapproved of the Bush Administration's policy in Iraq. Lots of Americans didn't like it. I didn’t, and still don’t. It doesn't excuse his quitting ahead of his commitment. Still, voters turned control over Congress to Democrats in 2006, when Walz unseated incumbent Republican Gil Gutknect. Many soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen disapprove of the policy. But they honor their commitment to serve their country and their commander in chief, if only out of obligation to their colleagues in the field, in the battalion and brigades, the ones they serve with.

Tim Walz (right) during his 24 years of service in the Minnesota National Guard

Especially senior non-commissioned officers.

Walz owes it to all of America's combat veterans to explain what he did and why. He was demoted due to his sudden departure, failing to qualify for his promotion to Command Sergeant Major. He still promoted himself as CSM during his political campaigns. He reportedly had been deployed previously, including during Operation Enduring Freedom (in Italy). He also experienced a deployment in Norway.

He also talks about trying to ban the guns he took into combat.

He never served in combat.

This looks like stolen valor. He has some explaining to do. Something tells me that more than 600,000 veterans in Pennsylvania, more than 400,000 veterans in Michigan, and another 400,000 veterans in Virginia, among millions of others, won't be impressed.

Here's the story. And here's what a lieutenant looks like when he's on patrol. A special thank you to all our service members and veterans who have served in harm's way and wear permanent service reminders, especially on this Purple Heart Day. We have some of these patriots in our family, and we salute and honor them all.

If you read anything about Walz and have questions about his service, go here:

https://www.wctrib.com/.../letters/the-truth-about-tim-walz

This Free Beacon story has plenty of essential links.

Oh, and then there's this gem. https://web.archive.org/.../http://www.timwalz.org/pr.php...