Minnesota National Guard Officials Comment on Walz’s Military Service

There have been several accusations of stolen valor and misconceptions about the truths surrounding his service to the country. Now, the Minnesota National Guard is sharing their side of the story to clear up any misconceptions.

After serving his country for 24 years, Walz went back to school and became a high school teacher and football coach.

In August of 2006, Walz stepped into the political sphere when he was elected to the United States House of Representatives and was re-elected for another five terms, serving Minnesota’s first Congressional District in Southern Minnesota.

At the time of his retirement, there was no way for him to anticipate such future mobilization. The Minnesota Governor has faced some scrutiny for returning from the military at the age of 42 before ever entering a live combat zone.

In campaign materials, Walz claimed that he retired at the rank of Command Sergeant Major.

However, he never completed the necessary coursework to hold the title officially and was subsequently demoted slightly.

However, many have raised concerns about the timing of his retirement.

Where and when members of the National Guard become deployed can often change in a moment.

During this time, he held multiple positions within field artillery, including firing battery chief, operations sergeant, and first sergeant, ultimately culminating his career as the command sergeant major for the battalion.

He continued, “while serving in Minnesota, his military occupational specialties were 13B – a cannon crewmember who operates and maintains cannons and 13Z – field artillery senior sergeant. In Nebraska, he served as a 11Z – infantry senior sergeant, and a 71L – administrative specialist”

The deployment took place after his retirement had already been finalized.

This order came one month after the initial alert, according to Lt. Col. Ryan Rossman, the MNG’s Director of Operations.

They were finally deployed to Iraq in March 2006, after completing a training camp in Shelby, Mississippi, which was 10 full months after Walz’s official retirement, according to Rossman.

“The official Department of the Army mobilization order was received on August 14, 2005”

According to DoD officials, there was no way a current battalion member could know where they would be roughly 10 months later.

To be able to retire from the military, even after 24 years of service, a person needs to have their request approved by their unit commander.

Additionally, there was no notification to Walz about the upcoming deployment.

During military service, a person is constantly training and preparing for a potential deployment.

This mobilization was in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Governor Walz was stationed in Vicenza, Italy, during his deployment and returned to Minnesota in April 2004, according to Augé.

His hearing issues were a significant factor in his decision to retire.

He said, “the blasts would knock us down and after firing I had ringing in my ears” and hearing loss that progressively worsened during his 21 years in the field artillery unit.

The board assessed whether he was fit to continue serving in the National Guard.

The procedure involved the addition of several prosthetic bones to aid his recovery.