While Democrats wax eloquent about Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) and his service in the Army National Guard — despite the fact that he left his unit hanging and took a default demotion in order to avoid a combat tour — some of them are still blissfully unaware that his political opponent, Senator JD Vance (R-OH), served in Iraq with the U.S. Marines.
During a recent appearance on CNN, for example, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) praised Walz for his service in the National Guard — leaving out the reports that he had abruptly retired in 2005, shortly after learning that his unit was scheduled to deploy to Iraq. Anchor Jim Acosta let her carry on uninterrupted until she asserted that she was unaware of any military service on Vance’s resume.
WATCH:
Top Harris surrogate @TinaSmithMN: I’m not aware of any military service that @JDVance has ever served.
(JD Vance served in the U.S. Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq) pic.twitter.com/h5YeBNDz0T
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 7, 2024
“Well, here is Tim Walz, who enlisted when he was 17 years old, he served in the National Guard for 24 years, and I’m not aware of any military service that JD Vance has ever served, so let’s just make the comparison there,” she said. “And what happened in the tragedy of the killing of George Floyd and then the unrest —”
“He was in the Marines,” Acosta interjected.
“— yeah, okay, pardon me for that,” Smith said.
A similar scene played out on MSNBC between anchor Andrea Mitchell and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as Mitchell pointed out the fact that Vance had criticized Walz for over-inflating his military experience.
WATCH BEN SHAPIRO’S ‘SCAMALA: KAMALA HARRIS UNMASKED’ ON DAILYWIRE+
WATCH:
.@SpeakerPelosi: “Has JD Vance been in combat?” @mitchellreports informs her he served in the Marine Corps., where he was deployed to Iraq @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/7Af53E11BG
— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) August 7, 2024
“JD Vance has criticized him as never having been in combat,” Mitchell said. “And —”
“Has he? Has he?” Pelosi demanded, pointing a finger at Mitchell. “Has JD Vance been in combat?”
Mitchell explained that Vance had, in fact, served in Iraq as a public affairs officer with the Marine Corps.
Despite the fact that ABC’s “The View” is on hiatus, cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin weighed in to praise Walz’s military service as well: “Very cool fact about Tim Walz: he is the highest ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress.”
One of Walz’s fellow veterans responded, however, suggesting that Vance was on the right track when he accused the Minnesota Governor of making exaggerated claims about his service.
“I served in the Minnesota National Guard with him. He literally abandoned us when we were about to be deployed to Iraq. He’s a coward and should be treated as such,” J.R. Salzman wrote.
I served in the Minnesota National Guard with him. He literally abandoned us when we were about to be deployed to Iraq. He’s a coward and should be treated as such. https://t.co/NPMfyUCjf2
— J.R. Salzman (@jrsalzman) August 7, 2024
