Walz Under Fire for Afghanistan Trip Comments

Washington — Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate and current governor of Minnesota, is under fire for comments suggesting that a congressional visit to Afghanistan constituted a military deployment. This scrutiny follows accusations from his Republican opponent, JD Vance, who labeled Walz's remarks as “stolen valor,” alleging he has exaggerated his military service record. During a recent speech commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Walz expressed feelings of guilt for returning home while others did not, referencing his time at Bagram Air Base without clarifying that he was there as a civilian. Walz, who served in the National Guard and was deployed to Italy in 2003, controversially retired in May 2005 just before a scheduled deployment to Iraq. His comments, which were posted on a Minnesota government website, included a description of witnessing a military ramp ceremony at Bagram, leading to confusion about whether he was implying he served in a combat role. Critics argue that his phrasing could mislead listeners into believing he had deployed to a war zone. The backlash intensified as military veterans and commentators pointed out that Walz's visit to Bagram was as a congressman, not as a soldier. Tom Elliott, founder of Grabien, noted that while Walz did not explicitly claim to have been deployed, his comments could lead casual listeners to assume otherwise. This controversy adds to the ongoing debate about the integrity of military service claims in political discourse.