WATCH: JD Vance BLASTS Gov. Tim Walz For Lying About His Military Service - 'It's Shameful'

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance (R-OH) slammed Kamala Harris' running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), during a campaign event in Shelby Township, Michigan. Vance condemned the Minnesota governor for lying about his military service and retiring from the Army National Guard instead of leading his troops during a 2004 deployment to Iraq.

Vance, a Marine who deployed to Iraq in 2005, pointed out the various discrepancies in Walz's 24 years of service in the Army National Guard. He pointed out that the Democrat vice presidential candidate falsely advertised his rank during his congressional career and gubernatorial campaign and failed to join his troops during the Iraq War.

"You know what really bothers me about Tim Walz as a Marine who served his country in uniform? 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 it because they asked me to do it, and I did it honorably, and I'm very proud of that service. When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him. A fact that he's been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people who he served with. I think it's shameful to prepare your unit to go to Iraq, to make a promise that you're going to follow through, and then drop out right before you actually have to go."

Gov. Walz has been heavily criticized by those who served with him after he joined the political arena for his actions at the end of his military career. Retired Command Sergeant Major Thomas Behrends of the Minnesota National Guard has been the most outspoken critic of Walz who, in 2018, during Walz's first gubernatorial run, accused the former National Guardsman of "betraying" the country.

"In early 2005, a warning order was issued to the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion, which included the position he was serving in, to prepare to be mobilized for active duty for a deployment to Iraq," Command Sergeant Major Behrends explained. "On May 16th, 2005, he quit, betraying his country, leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging; without its senior Non-Commissioned Officer, as the battalion prepared for war." 

Walz has also been accused of falsely claiming to have retired as the highest enlisted rank in the Army, a Command Sergeant Major, despite not completing the coursework required for the rank and subsequently being demoted by the Army upon his retirement. 

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Sen. Vance criticized Walz for abandoning his troops, telling the reporter, "I mean, your job as a senior enlisted guy in a unit is to keep your people safe. That's not a job you can switch out of on a moment's notice. So if he abandoned his troops before they went to Iraq or wherever... absolutely shameful."

WATCH:

.@JDVance: Kamala had another scripted set of remarks before a teleprompter yesterday.

Today marks 17 DAYS she has been the Democrat nominee and 17 DAYS where she has refused to answer questions from the media.

WHAT IS KAMALA AFRAID OF? pic.twitter.com/XgK8Y7qDq3

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 7, 2024

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