Veterans in Congress Join Fight Over Vance-Walz Military Record

Veterans in Congress are taking sides in the battle over the military record of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who was recently accused of “stolen valor” by his rival vice presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).

“When it’s @JDVance and [former President] Will Trump stop denigrating the men and women who honorably serve our country?” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a Marine Corps veteran, said Thursday in a thread on social platform. “JD knows personally that signing up to serve doesn’t always mean you’ll see combat – 90% of military personnel don’t.”

Moulton added later in the thread that he is “proud to have served in the House alongside @Tim_Walz because I am proud of his service as a true American patriot.”

Vice President Harris announced Walz as his running mate on Tuesday. His military record quickly became a point of battle between the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns and their allies in Congress.

Both Vance and Walz were in the military, with Walz serving in the National Guard and Vance serving in the Navy.

Vance lashed out at Walz earlier this week, accusing him of “stolen valor” because he left the military before his unit deployed.

“I wonder, Tim Walz, when have you been to war?” Vance said. “He didn’t spend a day in a combat zone. … I would be embarrassed if I were him and lied about my military service like he did.”

Vance’s comments Wednesday appeared to be about a clip of Walz posted by the Harris campaign on social media. In the clip, Walz talks about gun control and says, “We can ensure that the weapons of war I carried in war are only carried in war.”

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), a Navy veteran, criticized Walz in a post on X on Thursday.

“I proudly finished 20 years in the US Navy with multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq – retired as Master Chief,” Gonzales said in his post. “Yes, that makes me the highest-ranked enlisted member to ever serve in Congress. A claim that Governor Walz falsely paraded. It is important to report DISHONESTY. Tim Walz must be immediately WITHDRAWN as Vice President nominee.”

Another Democrat in Congress with prior military service, Rep. Jason Crow (Colorado), also joined the fray.

“Let’s make one thing clear: denigrating a veteran’s service when his running mate *checks notes* dodged the draft, called veterans ‘suckers’ and ‘losers,’ and refused to honor the fallen soldiers of the First World War to prevent it from raining is not just strange. It’s a total disgrace,” said Crow, an Army veteran. Thursday in a post on X.

His remarks were a clear reference to former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.

Meanwhile, other Republicans in Congress echoed Vance’s criticism of Walz.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) said Wednesday at X that it was “Purple Heart day and we have a guy who claims to be a combat veteran as Harris’ running mate.”

“Disgusting,” continued Luna, who is an Air Force veteran.

Rep. Brian Mast (R-Florida), an Army veteran, said Wednesday in a post on X that the governor of Minnesota “abandoned his fellow soldiers shortly after their deployment to Iraq.”

“He chose Congress over combat,” Mast continued. “He is not fit to be around the commander in chief.”

National Guard insiders who served with Walz, however, said he decided to retire from his unit at a time when members did not know they could be deployed.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), a Navy veteran, on Thursday compared the attacks on Walz’s military record to the swift boat attacks on the then-Senator. John Kerry (D-Mass.) when he ran for president in 2004.

“It is reminiscent of the speeding bull boats that Senator Kerry faced in his election. We are seeing the same type of people trying to reignite this same type of slanderous campaign against a man who served 24 years in the National Guard,” Sherrill said.

The Hill reached out to a spokesperson for Vance, the Trump campaign and the Harris campaign.

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