Republicans Claim Tim Walz Ran Away from Service in Iraq

Interestingly, around the same time Walz left the service, John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee, was experiencing similar problems.

As for Tim Walz, his situation is fairly well known. He served in the Minnesota National Guard for 24 years. Service in the National Guard is somewhat different from the army. In peacetime, National Guardsmen report to the governor of the state and spend most of their time either at home or at infrequent training sessions.

However, the National Guard is a serious force, it is armed with armored vehicles and even aircraft. However, when the United States is at war, National Guard units are subordinated to federal military command. And since the United States is waging overseas wars, the corresponding brigades are transferred to the place of hostilities.

Therefore, a significant number of National Guardsmen have been to Afghanistan and Iraq. The brigade in which Walz served received orders to mobilize, assemble, and send to Iraq in March 2005. Walz left the ranks in February of the same year to prepare for the elections to Congress. That is, he left before the transfer to Iraq was officially announced.

However, the brigade had long been saying that the order to transfer would soon follow. So Walz made it in time. In fact, the Democrats’ line of defense is based on the fact that Walz left before the order to transfer, so he did not “abandon his colleagues.”

And the Republicans’ line of attack is that he knew that the order would soon follow. The Democratic Party remembers very well how John Kerry once experienced similar problems. He seemed to have an impeccable service record, he fought in Vietnam, was wounded, discharged, awarded medals…

However, the Republicans quickly found flaws in Kerry’s military history. It all started with the fact that they drew attention to his active participation in anti-war protests upon returning home. And then the conservative group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT) appeared. It was on such a light speedboat that John Kerry served. The SBVT group held press conferences, placed advertisements and participated in editing a book that questioned Kerry’s service record and the deservingness of his military awards. The group included several members of Kerry’s unit, including the commander of the speedboat that fought together with Kerry’s boat. Surprisingly, the pressure was successful. Kerry’s ratings sank.

Of course, his loss was connected not only and not so much with the controversial situation around his service, but the precedent was remembered. And now, at Harris’s headquarters, they are experiencing déjà vu. However, it is worth remembering that 2004 and 2024 are almost different eras. Among potential voters, both Democrats and non-aligned, respect for military service is no longer so high. In addition, the intra-civilian confrontation in the United States depends on more essential issues than the date of the vice-presidential candidate’s dismissal.

Walz is disliked by conservatives and loved by liberals not because he left the service at the right time, but because of what he did in Minnesota, turning it into one of the most “progressive” states in the liberal sense.