The controversy surrounding Tim Walz’s military service continues to hang over the Democratic ticket. While the Minnesota governor spent 24 years in the National Guard, the timing of his retirement, his rank, and the way he speaks about his service have all been called into question since he first started running for public office some two decades ago (get the full breakdown here).
Among those who have been raising concerns for the better part of the last 20 years are those who served with Walz and were directly impacted by his decision to abandon his post as acting command sergeant major (CSM) and retire just months before his unit, the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion, was deployed to Iraq for 22 months.
On Monday’s show, Megyn was joined by Tom Behrends, the retired CSM who replaced Walz after his retirement, Paul Herr, a retired CSM who was present when Walz was informed his unit would be getting a notice to deploy to Iraq, Tom Schilling, a retired sergeant first class who was part of said deployment, and Rodney Tow, a retired first sergeant who was Walz’s peer, to discuss what it would mean for the governor to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Walz in the White House
Should the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz ticket prevail in November, Megyn noted that Walz will find himself “a heartbeat away from the presidency and from being the commander in chief in charge of all the armed forces and saying who deploys and when.”
Even as the vice president, Herr said, Walz could be helping to “determine rules of engagement” and shape strategy. He could find himself, Behrends added, in the same position Harris was three years ago during the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan that led to the death of 13 American service members.
“He can be in the Situation Room like Kamala was when Afghanistan fell,” Behrends said. “She was the last one in the room. You’re not raising your hand and saying, ‘Well, this is bullshit. What’s going on? This is ridiculous’?”
Fear vs. Bravery
As Herr explained, Walz’s decision to end his military career before deploying to Iraq — and never correcting the record when he was referred to as a combat veteran throughout his political career — tells you what kind of leader he would be. “Fear is a reaction, bravery is a decision, and Walz has made the wrong decision. He is not brave,” he said. “I call him a coward because he is… He took the easy path. He took the path of least resistance.”
In his view, Walz is guilty of stolen valor. “People make decisions that are cowardly and they come back and they try to live vicariously by robbing other people — all the other soldiers — of all the benefits that we did and all the sacrifices,” he added. “They want a piece of that. They feel slighted or they feel like they made a mistake, and this is how they’re making up for it. They live in a fantasy land.”
To Serve or Not to Serve
One of the defenses of Walz is that he at least did serve the country for more than two decades in the military, while someone like Donald Trump received five draft deferments during the Vietnam War era. Herr called the situation “apples and oranges,” while Behrends said he takes greater offense with what Walz has done. He called the governor a “turncoat” and a “traitor.”
“He did [serve] for 24 years and, all of a sudden said ‘no,'” Behrends explained. “I just call him a ‘deserter’ also because he left his post, he left his duty station, and he walked off into the sunset…. He slithered out of the armory… He was gone because ‘I’ve got better things to do.'”
Ultimately, all four veterans agreed that, first and foremost, Walz needs to apologize. Until then, they do not believe this controversy should go away. “If you’re in the military and you give him a pass when he left in the middle of the night, left his troops, lied about everything,” Herr concluded, “you need to reevaluate.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview by tuning in to episode 876 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.