Fact Checking Claims About Vance's and Walz's Military Records
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance criticized his Democratic counterpart Tim Walz for retiring from the National Guard before his unit deployed to Iraq, kicking up a partisan media scrap.
The Claim: Per Fox News (Right bias), Vance said to reporters that Walz "dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go [to Iraq] without him, a fact that he's been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people that he served with."
How the Media Covered It: Just the News (Lean Right) reported that Walz retired with a lower rank than claimed by his official bio and sought to avoid the Iraq War. Rolling Stone (Left) hit back, arguing that Walz left the army to run for Congress in the 2006 election and alleging that those who have publicly questioned his decision were resentful soldiers “passed over for promotions.” Fox 25 KOKH (Center) called out Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) for saying on CNN (Lean Left) that she was “not aware of any military service that J.D. Vance has ever served” — Smith was immediately corrected by the host and apologized.
Walz’ Service:
- Walz served in the Nebraska National Guard from 1981 to 1996 and the Minnesota National Guard from 1996 to 2005, a combined 25 years of army service.
- He held the rank of command sergeant major for his final assignment, but retired at the lower rank of master sergeant, which a Minnesota National Guard spokesperson stated was “for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.”
- Walz has stated that he never saw direct combat.
Vance’s Service:
- Pentagon records show that Vance served in the Marines for four years from 2003 to 2007 as a combat correspondent, including a six-month deployment to Iraq in 2005.
- In his book Hillbilly Elegy, Vance wrote that he never saw direct combat.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
JD Vance accuses Tim Walz of 'lying' about military service: 'Stolen valor garbage'![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Right AllSides Media Bias Rating: Right](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-right.png)
![](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/styles/feature_image_300x200/public/Walz-Vance.jpg?itok=XXRvJ0XQ)
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of dodging his military service and misleading the country about his veteran status on Wednesday.
Vance made the statement while taking questions from reporters at a campaign rally in Detroit. A reporter asked Vance about Walz's attempt to frame him as a member of the elite who attended an Ivy League school.
"I came from a family where nobody in my family had ever gone to law school. I grew up in a poor family. The fact that Tim Walz wants to...
From the Left
Republicans start tearing down Walz by going after his military record![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Left AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Left](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-leaning-left.png)
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is homing in on what advisers see as a potential liability for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz: his departure two decades ago from the Army National Guard.
Walz, introduced Tuesday as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, ended his 24-year military career to run for public office in 2005 — just before the unit he led deployed to Iraq.
“When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, do you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him...
From the Center
National Guard disputes Tim Walz's military biography![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Center AllSides Media Bias Rating: Center](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-center.png)
![](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/styles/feature_image_300x200/public/4353676.jpg?itok=3VdhKBNH)
The Minnesota National Guard is disputing Governor Tim Walz's military biography, saying that the Democratic vice presidential candidate did not hold the rank of command sergeant major at the time of his retirement. Army Lieutenant Colonel Kristen Augé, the state public affairs officer for Minnesota National Guard, told Just the News on Wednesday that the governor did not retire as "Command Sergeant Major Walz" in 2005, as stated on Minnesota's official website, but as master sergeant "because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy."...
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