In a political landscape that already feels like a high-stakes soap opera, the latest revelation about Governor Tim Walz is adding more fuel to the fire. Just as Kamala Harris announced him as her running mate, two retired Command Sergeant Majors have stepped forward with accusations that could shake the campaign to its core. The charge? Stolen valor.
It seems Walz has been accused of embellishing his military record to climb the political ladder faster than a caffeine-fueled squirrel up a tree. Retired Command Sergeant Majors Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr have gone public, alleging that Walz misrepresented his service in the Minnesota National Guard to gain tangible benefits and political clout.
According to these seasoned veterans, Walz’s narrative doesn’t quite add up. They claim he left his soldiers high and dry in 2005 just as they were called up for the Iraq war. His excuse? Retirement to run for Congress. But hold on—according to a Department of Defense Directive, he could have requested permission to run without abandoning his post.
Behrends and Herr didn’t stop there. They allege that Walz failed to fill out his retirement documents properly and was demoted to Master Sergeant because he dropped out of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. “Soldier not available for signature” reads his official retirement document. Not exactly the kind of leadership anyone would aspire to, right?
The bombshell letter from these retired sergeant majors paints a pretty grim picture: Walz is accused of quitting when his country needed him most. He failed to complete his two-year obligation post-academy and bailed on the six-year enlistment contract he signed after 9/11. To put it bluntly, they say Walz failed his country, his state, and his fellow soldiers.
This isn’t just about old military records; it’s also about the present. Conservatives are hammering Walz for his handling of the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots that left Minneapolis reeling. His tenure as governor during that tumultuous period is under intense scrutiny, and let’s just say, it’s not helping his case.
So, what does this mean for Kamala Harris and her campaign? With these allegations hanging over Walz, it’s like introducing a character with a dark backstory just as the hero needs a sidekick. Will this be a fatal flaw in Harris’s quest to overcome President Trump in the polls? Let’s hope so.