Every year, approximately two Millions of Americans serve in the militaryfull-time or one weekend a month. These people come from all walks of life and serve in different ways.
Many serve as Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio he did. After high school, Vance enrolled in a four-year enlistment in the Navy including six months in Iraq handling public affairs. So he was honorably discharged.
This is a little rare between politicians. Most served as officers after college, which meant better pay and benefits. But there is an even rarer experience: among the small fraction of Americans who enlist, a much smaller proportion make a career out of it – serving 20 years or morewith multiple deployments. And only a small fraction of them remain in service after being disabled at work.
One of them is Minnesota Governor Tim Walza soldier enlisted in the National Guard for nearly a quarter century. A journey that began on a farm in Nebraska as soon as he became eligible to join.
“My father served during the Korean War. And the day after I turned 17, he took me to an Army National Guard recruiter and I raised my hand and signed up,” Walz said about his enlistment.
This was in 1981, when Ronald Reagan was president. Walz continued to serve for the next 24 years under four commanders-in-chief.
He spent most of his time as an artillery soldier, which damaged his hearing. In 2002, after Walz had already turned 20 and qualified for retirement, a medical board considered dismissing him because of his hearing loss. Instead of, he convinced them to let him complete his final enlistmentthat started after 9/11.
Walz achieved the highest rank in the Army, sergeant major. But instead of staying and completing schooling for that category, he retired in 2005 as sergeant major.
In part, he says, because he wanted to speak freely about political injustices, including the Iraq War. The following year, he was one of more than 60 anti-war veterans who ran for Congress as “Fighting the Democrats”, a group that included Senator Tammy Duckworth, now former Senator Jim Webb, and now former Representative Patrick Murphy.
After his surprise victory in a traditionally conservative district, Walz became highest ranking enlisted soldierIt isresee to serve in Congress. There he worked to help end the military’s anti-gay policy. “Do not ask, Don’t Tell Policy”.
After Donald Trump was elected president, Walz became the ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, where fought the White House to privatize veterans’ health care. He also used his own experiences with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help other veterans get their benefits.
Walz’s experience in the military is atypical for most Americans, and particularly for politicians. There is literally no one like him.
But now that Walz is running with Vice President Kamala Harris against Trump and Vance, Republicans are trying “Fast–boat” he – denigrating his service in the same way they did Vietnam veteran John Kerry 20 years ago.
They claim Walz stole valor and left the Army to avoid going to Iraq. It’s a playbook that Republicans also used against Walz when he ran for governor of Minnesota.
And then it failed. It turns out that when voters hear about the quarter century Walz spent as a citizen soldier and the time that has passed since then, fighting for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to get the benefits they deserve, they don’t see what Republicans do.
Instead, they see a rare breed of veteran in politics who can eliminate self-serving bullshit rather than increase it.
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This article was originally published in MSNBC.com
