Harris campaign changes Walz’s military biography after criticism

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign quietly updated Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN) online biography after Republicans criticized her depiction of her running mate’s military record.

After Harris picked Walz as her No. 2 on Tuesday, her campaign website called the Minnesota Democrat “the son of an Army veteran and a retired Army National Guard command sergeant major.”

Two days later, Walz’s online biography was modified to label him as “the son of an Army veteran who served as a command sergeant major.”

The seemingly minor update comes after intense scrutiny into Walz revealed that the Minnesotan did not retire as a command sergeant major. Walz spent more than two decades in the Army National Guard, eventually serving in that role, but the title was revoked because Walz did not complete the necessary courses required by the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy to achieve the top rank.

As a result, Walz was demoted one level below the rank of master sergeant, according to an Army spokeswoman.

“Walz rose to the rank of command sergeant major and served in that capacity, but retired as a sergeant major in 2005 for benefits due to his failure to complete additional courses,” Army public affairs officer Lt. Col. Kristen Augé said in a statement to the The Star Tribune newspaper of Minneapolis.

This is not the first time Walz has faced criticism for misrepresenting his military credentials. During his 2018 campaign for governor in the North Star State, two retired sergeants major complained that Walz was misleading voters with his military titles.

As the 2024 presidential race heats up, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), a Navy veteran, has led GOP attacks on Walz’s portrayal of his military record.

After Walz said he had carried guns “into war” in a Harris campaign video, former President Donald Trump’s running mate was quick to point out that his Minnesota rival had never “spent a day in a combat zone.”

While Walz completed a deployment to Italy in 2003, replacing troops being deployed to Afghanistan, he did not serve in combat. The Minnesota governor retired in 2005, just months before his unit was to deploy to Iraq.

During a campaign stop in Michigan on Wednesday, Vance criticized Walz for “stealing the garbage out of valor” and said he should be “ashamed” for allegedly lying about his military service. The senator cast Walz’s retirement in an unflattering light, implying that he had conveniently retired just before his unit went to war.

“Tim Walz, when have you been in the war?” Vance asked. “He hasn’t spent a day in a combat zone… I would be embarrassed if I were him and lied about my military service like he did.”

“What weapon was that that you carried into war, given that you left your unit just before they went to Iraq and he hasn’t spent a single day in a combat zone?” Vance continued.

Allan Bonnifield, who served with Walz, told Minnesota Public Radio in 2018 that the governor suffered over his decision to leave the military to run for Congress.

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“He took the decision to run for Congress very seriously,” Bonnifield said of Walz. “He loved the military, he loved the Guard, he loved the soldiers he worked with, and making that decision was very difficult for him. Especially knowing that we were going to be sent on another deployment to Iraq. He didn’t make that decision lightly at all.”

He Washington Examiner I have reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.