A video has been released of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz claiming he brought weapons of war into a real war. A response from the Minnesota National Guard to Fox News denies the fact that Walz actually went into battle, but rather avoided skirmishes and retreated, leaving his troops behind.
Walz, who is Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris's vice presidential pick, served a quarter-century in the National Guard.
TO video Walz's controversial statement can be seen in X.
“I spent 25 years in the military and I hunt for a living. I voted for common-sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can investigate the impacts of gun violence. We can make sure that those weapons of war, which I carried in war, are only carried in war,” Walz said in his speech, aimed at voters who do not want guns on the streets.
VETERAN WHO SERVED IN TIM WALZ'S BATTALION ADDRESSES STOLEN VALOR ALLEGATIONS: 'MUCH DARKER THAN PEOPLE THINK'
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is greeted by Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz before she delivers remarks at a campaign event, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Eau Claire, Wis. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Behrends, who said he was a member of Walz's battalion, criticized the governor's comments.
“To most people, that would mean he was actually in combat, carrying a weapon in a combat zone and receiving combat pay and in a dangerous and hostile environment where he was being shot at,” Behrends told the Ingraham Angle on Wednesday.
Walz has never said which war he fought in. During his time in the Guard, there were two wars in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, neither of which appear on his military record.
JD VANCE ACCUSES TIM WALZ OF 'LYING' ABOUT MILITARY SERVICE: 'VALUABLE TRASH STOLEN'
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz listens to President Joe Biden as he speaks at Dutch Creek Farms in Northfield, Minn., Nov. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The Minnesota National Guard told Fox News that Walz was part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) while stationed in Italy with his unit in 2005, but that he retired before his unit went into battle.
“Walz left the National Guard in May 2005 after 24 years of service. His unit did not receive orders to deploy to Iraq until July. He had filed his retirement papers between 5 and 7 months prior to his retirement in May,” the Minnesota National Guard said.
“Second, there is some question as to whether he served in the OEF. His battalion was sent to Europe, in his case to Vicenza, to train units in artillery; his specialty was artillery. If you are sent overseas to support the OEF, according to the National Guard, you officially served in the OEF, whether you were in Afghanistan or not. That is on his official military service record, listed below.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Walz's office for comment and received an automated response.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
This week, Walz was named Kamala Harris' running mate on the national Democratic ticket. Harris, the current vice president, will seek to take President Biden's place and face former President Donald Trump in the general election.
Trump's running mate JD Vance spoke to the media about choosing Vice President Kamala Harris as his potential vice president. (Fox News)
Trump's running mate is JD Vance, who served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps. In a speech Wednesday at an event in Michigan, Vance said Walz had deserted his fellow soldiers heading off to war.
“You left your unit just before they went to Iraq,” Vance said.
Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin contributed to this story.
