Reply to She picked Tim

Forum Index » Political Discussion

Reply to "She picked Tim"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In early 2016, Tim Walz sat down with CSPAN for a bipartisan discussion about his opposition to President Barack Obama's push to reduce troop levels overseas. To begin the panel, the host introduced Walz -- at the time in his fifth term as a U.S. representative -- in part by incorrectly outlining his military service.

"Enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17 and retired 24 years later as Command Sergeant Major," she said of Walz, "and served with his battalion in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan."

[i]Walz nodded in agreement at that statement, despite the fact that -- according to military records and his own admission -- although he served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Italy, he never served in Afghanistan.[/i]

Thomas Behrends, who took over as command sergeant major of Walz's battalion after Walz retired from military service in 2005, has been a vocal Walz critic for years, accusing him of using a false rank after retiring and criticizing his decision to retire before his battalion was deployed to Iraq.

"At the point when he quit, the balloon was deflated and all the soldiers out here, basically it was like one of their main senior leaders had died. They couldn't believe it," Behrends said in an interview with ABC News.

"On Thursday, March 17 the National Guard Public Affairs Office announced a possible partial mobilization of roughly 2,000 troops from the Minnesota National Guard," Walz posted to his campaign website in 2005, according to a version viewed by ABC News via the Wayback Machine.

"I do not yet know if my artillery unit will be part of this mobilization and I am unable to comment further on specifics of the deployment," Walz posted on the site. "As Command Sergeant Major I have a responsibility not only to ready my battalion for Iraq, but also to serve if called on. I am dedicated to serving my country to the best of my ability, whether that is in Washington DC or in Iraq."

Walz also stated he intended to remain in the race even if he were to be deployed.

"I don't want to speculate on what shape my campaign will take if I am deployed, but I have no plans to drop out of the race. I am fortunate to have a strong group of enthusiastic supporters and a very dedicated and intelligent wife. Both will be a major part of my campaign, whether I am in Minnesota or Iraq."

The post on his 2005 campaign website ends by stating, "If called to duty, Walz would leave behind his wife Gwen and four-year-old daughter, Hope."

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/walz-previously-faced-criticism-characterized-military-service-records/story?id=112833386

[/quote]

He actually did finish his service at the rank of Command Sergeant Major. He was given the title and responsibilities but would not get the pay bump unless he finished the training course in Texas (which takes 90+ days). When he retired before finishing the training course, he resumed his previous rank for pension and benefit purposes.

This is really splitting hairs here. He had the job of "Command Sergeant Major" - actually had the stripes and was addressed with that title prior to retirement. This is all so dumb.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics