Four veterans who served with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz came forward Monday to publicly criticize the description of their service in the National Guard, as well as his decision to retire from the service and run for Congress just before the unit was deployed to Iraq.
Retired Command Sergeant Major Tom Behrends, retired Brigade Sergeant Major Paul Herr, retired Sergeant First Class Tom Schilling and retired National Guard veteran Rodney Tow appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show to detail their criticisms of Walz and the exaggerations of his service record.
The group detailed their frustrations with Walz, particularly after he decided to retire shortly after learning the unit would be deployed to Iraq in 2005. All four were deployed to Iraq without him.
“He told me and other sergeants major in meetings that they could count on me, that I would deploy with my unit. His words reached my ears and the ears of others,” Herr said.
The four veterans spoke about the men in their unit who lost their lives in Iraq, while Walz remained in the United States, using his military service for political gain.
Pictured: L-R, Paul Herr, Rodney Tow, Tom Behrends and Tom Schilling. September 2, 2024: The Megyn Kelly Show
They described his decision to leave the unit as devastating to military morale.
“That’s morally disastrous. It destroys the structure of the military and its ability to accomplish its mission. And it may not be legally wrong, but it is morally indefensible,” Herr said.
Schilling was in the unit led by Walz when he left and said he was shocked to hear the news.
National Guard veterans who served with Tim Walz detailed their complaints about frequent exaggerations about his record.
National Guard veterans who served with Tim Walz criticized him for quitting after learning the unit was deploying to Iraq.
“He just walked away and turned his back on us,” she said. “I don’t understand how he could do that from a moral point of view, as they have no integrity.”
They also criticize Walz’s decision to describe himself as a “retired command sergeant major” even though he was only a master sergeant when he officially retired. (Although Walz was eventually given the title of command sergeant major, he did not retire as such.)
“He was literally a master sergeant, on paper, conditionally promoted for 14 days,” Herr said.
The group condemned Walz for repeatedly describing himself as a retired command sergeant major, even though veterans had criticized him for exaggerating his record.
Walz has been accused of leaving his National Guard unit in 2005 to begin his political career just before the unit was deployed to Iraq. He served 24 years after enlisting at age 17.
Walz, who currently serves as governor of Minnesota, joined the National Guard after high school and served 24 years in the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery Regiment, rising to the rank of command sergeant major.
“If you only knew, my blood is boiling right now, because Walz has done nothing but lie to line his own pockets his entire career,” Herr said. “That’s why I know. I was there.”
They said it was inconceivable that it was an innocent mistake and that Walz should have corrected the record and apologized years ago.
The group also condemned him for allowing others to describe him as a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, the military mission in Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. Walz was deployed to Italy in 2003, but never served in Afghanistan or Iraq.
“You were in Italy… when you’re having a latte and there are people getting shot, there’s a big difference,” Herr said.
Megyn Kelly joins four veterans who served in the National Guard under Governor Tim Walz and in his unit that deployed to Iraq.
Democratic presidential candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris and vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz
Veterans also criticized Walz’s initial refusal to deploy National Guard troops during the George Floyd riots in Minneapolis, describing the force as “19-year-olds who were cooks.”
During his political career, Walz also spoke of “using a weapon of war” in combat, although he was never stationed overseas.
“This guy is a military impersonator… he’s said it so many times that it makes anyone sick to hear it,” Behrands said.
Veterans also criticized Walz’s initial refusal to deploy National Guard troops during the George Floyd riots in Minneapolis, describing the force as “19-year-olds who were cooks.”
Tim Walz and his wife Gwen Walz wave before boarding a campaign plane.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz speaks at the Milwaukee Area Labor Council’s Laborfest
They described Walz’s description of the force as an “insult” to the state’s entire National Guard.
When Kelly asked the four veterans to raise their hands if they thought Walz had “run off,” all four did so.
“Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision,” Herr said. “And Walz has made the wrong decision. He is not courageous. I call him a coward because he is. Because he took the easy way out. He chose the path of least resistance.”