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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore defended Walz’s military service after Vance accused the Minnesota governor, who served 24 years in the National Guard, of having “abandoned” his unit to avoid being deployed to Iraq.
“You get to sergeant major because you were willing to put on the uniform and put the flag of this country on your shoulder and promise to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic,” Moore said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.” “I think JD Vance knows, as being a corporal, that you don’t get to sergeant major just because.”
Moore, a combat veteran who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 as a captain, argued that, “especially as a veteran” himself, Vance must “respect” Walz and “anybody who is willing to raise their hand, to put on the uniform of this country.”
“This is a person who believes in patriotism; he believes in the goodness of the American people,” Moore said, referring to Walz. “He believes in the goodness of the documents that we fall under and that we served under.”
Moore’s comments came in response to Vance’s remarks at a campaign event in Shelby Township, Michigan, this morning, when he cast doubt on Walz’s military service by accusing him of quitting shortly before his unit was deployed to Iraq.
“Well, I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? When was this, what was this weapon that you carried into war, given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq?” Vance said. “And he has not spent a day in a combat zone? What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage — do not pretend to be something that you’re not.”
The Harris campaign also came to Walz’s defense amid Republican attacks on his military service. It noted that his military career included specializing in heavy artillery, winning awards for his proficiency in sharpshooting and hand grenades, responding to tornadoes, participating in flood fights and spending months on active duty in Italy. In Congress, Walz also championed increased funding for the military and mental health resources for veterans.
“After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he chaired Veterans Affairs and was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform — and as Vice President he will continue to be a relentless champion for our veterans and military families,” Lauren Hitt, a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson, said in a statement.
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