Walz accusations of 'stolen valor' prompt battle between House veterans

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Troy Downing on Walz military service controversy: Every vet should find this offensive

Montana GOP congressional candidate Troy Downing, a combat veteran, reacts to stolen valor claims surrounding vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' foreign policy and the state of the Trump campaign.

Controversy over Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s military service record is at the heart of Capitol Hill’s latest political firestorm, with veterans on both sides of the aisle chiming in on the new Democratic vice presidential candidate.

Republicans are accusing Walz of misrepresenting details about his 24-year career in the National Guard — GOP lawmakers who served in the military have attacked him for leaving the National Guard to run for Congress shortly before his unit deployed to Iraq.

Democratic veterans in Congress jumped to his defense, pointing out that Walz served past his 20-year retirement eligibility mark and dismissing the GOP attacks as baseless.

"The veterans' community is incensed right now that Tim Walz refuses to answer questions about his military record," Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., the first former Green Beret elected to Congress, told Fox News Digital. "[He] has misled voters about his military rank, and it appears he abandoned his men prior to their deployment to Iraq. We expect leaders to lead by example and this ain’t it."

JD VANCE ACCUSES TIM WALZ OF ‘LYING’ ABOUT MILITARY SERVICE: ‘STOLEN VALOR GARBAGE’

From left: Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., a former Green Beret, is leading House GOP attacks on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's military record, while Democratic veterans like Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., are playing defense. (Getty Images)

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., a retired Navy SEAL who served multiple combat tours, told Fox News Digital, "He abandoned his soldiers and their families at the time they needed him most, before a combat deployment. He sat on the sidelines in Minnesota as his soldiers risked their lives in Iraq. This is a Cardinal Sin for anyone that has served our nation honorably. God forbid he is ever a heartbeat away from becoming the Commander in Chief."

The Harris campaign countered the GOP offensive with a press call hosted by House Democratic military veteran Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo.; Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass.; and Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J.

"We have officers and enlisted who have all said he’s an exemplary, admirable soldier," said Auchincloss, a former Marine, adding that attacks against Walz were cast "in bad faith."

Crow, a retired Army Ranger, said, "It just shows how morally bankrupt they are. They have no ideas. They have no vision for the future. All they can do is attack and lie and twist and contort."

The controversy kicked off when Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, former President Trump’s running mate and a former Marine, accused Walz of "stolen valor."

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Vice President Kamala Harris chose Walz as her running mate earlier this week. (Reuters/Kevin Mohatt/Pool)

"When the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America, asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it. I did what they asked me to do, and I did it honorably, and I'm very proud of that service," Vance said during a media event this week.

Crow responded to Vance on X, "Falsely maligning a fellow veteran's service for personal gain is beyond the pale. You've lost your way."

Walz had served in the National Guard for 20 years before retiring and re-enlisting after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. He retired two months before his unit received orders to deploy to Iraq, spurring accusations among critics that he left to avoid deployment.

"Tim Walz served honorably. He served for 24 years," Auchincloss said Thursday. "He made his decision to run for the United States Congress before his battalion got notice of impending deployment to Iraq."

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He also contrasted his record to Trump’s, who has been accused by his critics of dodging the Vietnam War draft for his deferrals on medical grounds, and accused him of a "despicable track record of disparaging veterans."

The Minnesota governor has never deployed to a combat zone. Vance served in Iraq for six months in a noncombat role following the 2001 attack.

Walz was also discovered to have claimed several times that he retired as a command sergeant major, which is not accurate — he reverted to his previous rank upon retirement because he did not complete the necessary corresponding coursework, the National Guard has said.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., also criticized Walz. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

It prompted the Harris-Walz campaign to update his biography page from saying he was a "retired Command Sergeant Major" to having "served as a command sergeant major."

Where Walz spent his deployment has also generated back-and-forth between the right and left. During his re-enlistment, Walz deployed to Italy in 2005 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the National Guard.

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He said in a resurfaced C-SPAN interview, "My battalion provided base security throughout the European theater from Turkey to England in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan."

That has been seized on by critics who have accused him of falsely claiming to have deployed to Afghanistan. It’s not clear from reports, however, that Walz has ever said he deployed to Afghanistan.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report