In early 2016, Tim Walz sat down with CSPAN for a bipartisan discussion about his opposition to President Barack Obama's push to reduce troop levels overseas. To begin the panel, the host introduced Walz -- at the time in his fifth term as a U.S. representative -- in part by incorrectly outlining his military service.
"Enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17 and retired 24 years later as Command Sergeant Major," she said of Walz, "and served with his battalion in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan."
Walz nodded in agreement at that statement -- despite the fact that, according to military records and his own admission, he had never served in Afghanistan. ...
These inaccuracies, which at times went uncorrected, include Walz not denying the statement that he served in Afghanistan, and Walz repeatedly saying that he retired with a rank he achieved but did not retire with, as well as an instance in 2018 of Walz claiming that he carried weapons of war "in war," about which the Harris-Walz campaign said that he misspoke. ...
Walz appears to have been aware prior to his retirement that his unit was under consideration for deployment. ...
In the National Guard, Walz began serving as command sergeant major, a leadership position, in 2004, and was officially appointed to the role in April 2005, shortly before he retired from service, according to a statement from Army Col. Ruan Cochran. However Walz did not remain in the role long enough to keep the title in retirement.
Still, Walz repeatedly referred to himself as a "retired command sergeant major" for years.
-- ABC News
