{"id":2323574,"date":"2024-08-13T06:59:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T10:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-ignominy-of-master-sergeant-timothy-walz\/"},"modified":"2024-08-13T07:04:43","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T11:04:43","slug":"the-ignominy-of-master-sergeant-timothy-walz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-ignominy-of-master-sergeant-timothy-walz\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ignominy Of Master Sergeant Timothy Walz"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-ignominy-of-master-sergeant-timothy-walz%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2323574&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the\u200c controversy surrounding the military service record of Tim Walz, the Democrat vice presidential\u2063 candidate, focusing on\u200c his \u200cdecision to retire from the Minnesota Army National Guard just \u200bbefore his battalion was set to deploy\u200b to Iraq in 2005. The author, a retired Army colonel, emphasizes that\u2064 the core issue is not the length of Walz&#8217;s service or his rank, but rather the betrayal of trust associated with his role as a command sergeant \u200bmajor, which involved responsibilities for the well-being and training of over 500 soldiers. The author argues that by retiring to pursue a congressional campaign rather than leading his unit into combat, Walz acted selfishly, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uaw-strike-general-motors-ceo-blasts-union-president-over-negotiations\/\" title=\"GM CEO criticizes union president in UAW strike talks.\">prioritizing personal ambition<\/a> over duty. This, according to the author,\u2063 reflects \u2062a significant moral deficiency \u2064in Walz&#8217;s\u2062 character, distinguishing his decision\u2063 as more egregious than\u2063 other politicians who did not serve in the military. The piece\u200d includes personal anecdotes illustrating the gravity of a \u200bcommand sergeant major&#8217;s responsibilities and the dishonor attached\u2064 to \u200cnot deploying with\u200c one&#8217;s troops. The author concludes that Walz&#8217;s actions constitute a grave dereliction of duty, contrasting them \u2063sharply with\u200c the military service records\u2063 of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-trump-special-counsel-jack-smith-was-involved-in-obama-era-lois-lerner-irs-scandal\/\" title=\"New Trump Special Counsel Jack Smith Was Involved in Obama-Era Lois Lerner IRS Scandal\">high-profile politicians<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em>The following was republished with permission from<\/em> <em>Cynical Publius<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of controversy regarding the military service record of Democrat vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. My X account has seen the most traffic it has ever known as I have discussed this issue at length, and I thought it would be a good idea now to take a deep breath and kind of recap where we are at in this controversy. I know for sure that the veteran community is fired up over this issue, but I sense that many from the non-veteran community do not know what to think given the competing arguments from both sides of the political aisle. <\/p>\n<p>I would like to share my own personal experiences and thoughts as a retired Army colonel and veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. What I hope for civilians to understand is this: The issue is not the number of years Walz served, or when he submitted his retirement paperwork, or what his final rank was, or even &mdash; just as a stand-alone proposition &mdash; whether he ever went to combat. No, the issue is the unique and special position of trust he held when he decided to walk away from his soldiers, his unit, and his nation. I&rsquo;ll explain.<\/p>\n<p>But first, some facts. There are all sorts of facts and disinformation flying around on this matter, so I want to highlight the most basic and most important facts, ones that not even the most rabid Democrat can dispute:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Walz <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/walz-national-guard-military-ae43d684bf1319e535f9f620552155d7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">served for 24 years<\/a> in the Minnesota Army National Guard, retiring at the rank of master sergeant (an &ldquo;E-8&rdquo; in the Army).<\/li>\n<li>In the spring of 2005, Walz was serving as the command sergeant major (an &ldquo;E-9&rdquo;) of the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery, a Minnesota Army National Guard battalion that is part of the 34th Infantry Division.<\/li>\n<li>Also in the spring of 2005, Walz and his battalion received a warning order that the battalion would be deploying to Iraq. (We know this because Walz&rsquo;s own congressional campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20050420005951\/http:\/\/www.timwalz.org\/print.php?pr=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told us<\/a> at the time.)<\/li>\n<li>Knowing that his unit was deploying, Walz nevertheless chose to retire from the National Guard in May of 2005 to pursue his congressional campaign.<\/li>\n<li>Serving members of the National Guard and the Reserve routinely also serve in Congress, and always have. Tulsi Gabbard is an excellent recent example. Walz did not necessarily need to retire to run for Congress. However, an Iraq deployment he might have instead chosen to participate in would, in fact, have prevented him from campaigning.<\/li>\n<li>Walz&rsquo;s retirement meant he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/former-leader-walzs-battalion-publishes-scathing-message-aimed-governors-military-career-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">did not fulfill a contractual service commitment<\/a> he willingly entered into when the Army selected him to attend the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. As a result, the Army reduced his official retirement rank from E-9 to E-8.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>These are facts. Now let&rsquo;s explain what was so egregious in what Walz did.<\/p>\n<p>So Walz retired when he was allowed to and ran for Congress instead &mdash; what&rsquo;s the big deal, right? Well, had Walz been some slug E-8 holding down some clerical job in the 34th Infantry Division Headquarters, counting his days until retirement, and had he opted to take a lawful retirement rather than go to Iraq, no one would care. But that&rsquo;s not what happened. Walz was a COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR (&ldquo;CSM&rdquo;), and that makes all the difference in the world.<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CynicalPublius\/article\/1821768321630679397\/media\/1821761919042383875\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A CSM is the senior NCO in an Army battalion. He is the battalion commander&rsquo;s most trusted adviser. He is the standard-setter for every other NCO and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-pompeo-nukes-biden-in-response-to-biden-trying-to-blame-trump-for-afghanistan-debacle\/\" title=\"WATCH: Pompeo Nukes Biden In Response To Biden Trying To Blame Trump For Afghanistan Debacle\">junior enlisted soldier<\/a> in that battalion. All eyes are on him. He is as close to a god on Earth as a soldier could ever be. The rank and position of a CSM are exceptionally hard to attain &mdash; very few NCOs ever make it.<\/p>\n<p>More importantly, taking on the duties of a CSM is a sacred trust. The 500-plus soldiers in your battalion are trusting you to train them and hold them to a standard where they can fight, win, and survive in combat. Those soldiers put their faith, trust, and lives in your hands. I&rsquo;ll say it again: This is a sacred trust.<\/p>\n<p>I&rsquo;ll now be blunt. In the spring of 2005, Walz walked away from that sacred trust by abandoning his post when he learned of an upcoming Iraq deployment. He was a coward. He was a quitter. He placed his own self-interest over that of his soldiers. He was an NCO Courtney Massengale (if you know, you know).<\/p>\n<p>It is at this point that I would like to share a relevant personal anecdote to explain what it means when a CSM walks away on the eve of combat. When I was a battalion commander, just a few weeks before we were about to deploy to Afghanistan &mdash; and after we had done our intensive Joint Readiness Training Center rotation with the team we were taking to the fight &mdash; my CSM was relieved by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/carrier-uss-abraham-lincoln-uss-miguel-keith-conducting-operations-in-south-china-sea\/\" title=\"Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Miguel Keith Conducting Operations in South China Sea\">division commanding general<\/a> because the CSM did something particularly stupid involving a junior enlisted soldier and got caught.<\/p>\n<p>I cannot describe how disruptive that was. It was like having the beating heart ripped out of my battalion. We overcame it, but it was tough &mdash; and it upset the entire NCO chain as we had to elevate multiple NCOs in the chain of responsibility to new positions they had not trained in, all because of our CSM being relieved. That disruption could have resulted in deaths in combat (thankfully it did not). If you are an Army battalion commander, NO ONE is more important than your CSM. So yeah &mdash; I understand the impact of Walz&rsquo;s cowardice better than almost all of the other people on this planet.<\/p>\n<p>Someone asked me in good faith whether or not Walz simply left one kind of service for a higher level of service in Congress. I thought long and hard about an appropriate analogy as an answer to that question and finally came up with one: What Walz did is the moral equivalent of a mother dropping off her five preteen children at an orphanage in the dead of night so she could run for Congress. Yes, it&rsquo;s that bad.<\/p>\n<p>Walz&rsquo;s ignominy was more than just abandoning his troops; it also reflects some sort of personal deficit in his character and makeup. For almost every professional soldier I have ever known, the idea of not going to war with his or her unit is a hateful thing. <\/p>\n<p>Please let me tell you another story to illustrate. One of the things that the Army makes a battalion do when it deploys to war is to leave back in the USA a &ldquo;Rear Detachment.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s a very small group of soldiers who cover important administrative and logistical matters back home. The Rear Detachment is also the hub of the civilian spouse-led &ldquo;Family Readiness Group,&rdquo; keeping spouses and kids informed and &mdash; Heaven forbid &mdash; helping families if one of your soldiers is killed or wounded.<\/p>\n<p>There are different schools of thought as to whom a battalion commander should leave in charge of that Rear Detachment. Some battalion commanders leave their worst lieutenant or captain behind. When my battalion went to Afghanistan, I chose to leave my very best first lieutenant behind. The job is just that important.<\/p>\n<p>When I called this lieutenant into my office to tell him that he was being left behind to command the Rear Detachment, this stoic, hard-core, physical-training-stud, Jumpmaster, Ranger-qualified, combat-medic lieutenant broke down and boo-hoo cried, tears and all. He begged me not to leave him behind. Being left behind while the rest of the battalion and his company deployed was sheer heartbreak to him.<\/p>\n<p>He ended up doing the Rear Detachment commander job extremely well, but I&rsquo;m not sure he ever forgave me. Most military leaders are like that. They will extend retirement dates. They will hide injuries. They will cancel a permanent change of station move or a desirable military school. Hell, many will even get divorced rather than not deploy to war. They will do any and all of those things to avoid not deploying with their unit. <\/p>\n<p>True military leaders are like that: The most dishonorable thing imaginable is to not go to war with your comrades. But not Tim Walz. He was a battalion command sergeant major &mdash; the most senior and important NCO in a battalion &mdash; and he bailed, ran, and hid rather than deploy with his soldiers to Iraq and do his duty.<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CynicalPublius\/article\/1821768321630679397\/media\/1821762440985444353\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So right about now I can hear my midwit Democrat pals shouting, &ldquo;WHAT ABOUT CADET BONESPURS, HMMMMM!?!?&rdquo; To which I easily say: Trump did not serve. Neither did Clinton. Nor Obama. Nor Biden. Nor Harris. But cutting and running in the face of the enemy and abandoning the troops you were sworn to lead AS THEIR SENIOR NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER is 1,000 times worse than never serving at all.<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CynicalPublius\/article\/1821768321630679397\/media\/1821762589723971585\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Incredibly, it gets worse. Not only did Walz abandon his sacred duty to his soldiers to pursue a self-serving political goal, he then went and bragged politically about the honorable leadership as a CSM that he never provided. He <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/08\/09\/us-news\/chaplain-calls-tim-walz-cowardly-for-leaving-national-guard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">took credit<\/a> for a rank he never fulfilled, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/08\/10\/politics\/walz-national-guard-harris-campaign\/index.html'\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lied<\/a> about his service in war, and he cynically did all of this for no other reason than personal gain. This is despicable stolen valor and reflects this man&rsquo;s lack of honor, integrity, and good character.<\/p>\n<p>If Master Sergeant (Ret.) Walz could not be trusted to fulfill the duties he had to his soldiers, his unit, and his nation in 2005, how can he be trusted to be vice president in 2025? Tim Walz is not qualified to be a municipal dogcatcher, let alone vice president of the United States of America.<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CynicalPublius\/article\/1821768321630679397\/media\/1821762874555113472\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Walz&rsquo;s egregious behavior boils the blood of veterans who left a part of their soul in Mosul or Fallujah or Kandahar or Ramadi or Khowst &mdash; or any of the other cities or open spaces where their friends died. Veterans and non-veterans alike, please vote accordingly. Keep the heat on, please.<\/p>\n<p>If all it does is cause 10,000 veterans to turn out in Pennsylvania or Wisconsin who might not have done so otherwise, we win. This is a vital issue &mdash; make Walz and the Democrats pay for their perfidy.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Federalist verifies the identities of those who publish with us anonymously.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following content has been republished with permission from Cynical Publius. Recently, there has been significant controversy surrounding the military service record of Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate. My X account has experienced unprecedented traffic as I have delved into this topic, and I believe it\u2019s important to take a moment to summarize where we currently stand in this debate. The veteran community is clearly passionate about this issue, but many civilians seem uncertain due to conflicting viewpoints from both political sides.<\/p>\n<p>As a retired Army colonel who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, I want to share my personal insights on this matter. It\u2019s crucial for civilians to grasp that the core issue isn\u2019t about how long Walz served or when he filed his retirement papers; it\u2019s not even about his final rank or whether he saw combat. The real concern lies in the trust he held when he chose to leave his soldiers and unit behind.<\/p>\n<p>To clarify some facts amidst all the misinformation:<br \/>\n&#8211; Walz served 24 years in the Minnesota Army National Guard and retired as a master sergeant (E-8).<br \/>\n&#8211; In spring 2005, he was serving as command sergeant major (E-9) of a battalion within the 34th Infantry Division.<br \/>\n&#8211; That same spring, his battalion received orders for deployment to Iraq.<br \/>\n&#8211; Despite knowing of this deployment, Walz opted to retire in May 2005 so he could run for Congress.<\/p>\n<p>While many National Guard members serve concurrently in Congress\u2014like Tulsi Gabbard\u2014Walz didn\u2019t need to retire for his campaign; participating in an Iraq deployment would have interfered with it. His retirement meant that he did not fulfill a service commitment made when selected for advanced training at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, leading to a reduction of his official retirement rank from E-9 back down to E-8.<\/p>\n<p>Now let me explain why what Walz did is so troubling: If he had been an ordinary E-8 doing clerical work and chose retirement instead of going to Iraq, it might not raise eyebrows. However, as command sergeant major\u2014a critical leadership role\u2014his decision carries much more weight.<\/p>\n<p>A CSM is vital within an Army battalion; they are trusted advisors and set standards for other soldiers. They hold immense responsibility over their troops\u2019 training and readiness for combat\u2014a sacred trust that should never be taken lightly.<\/p>\n<p>In spring 2005, by stepping away just before deployment instead of fulfilling that duty during wartime operations with his soldiers under threat was cowardly behavior\u2014it prioritized personal ambition over soldier welfare.<\/p>\n<p>I can personally attest how disruptive such actions can be based on my own experiences leading troops into combat situations where every leader&#8217;s presence matters immensely\u2014not just operationally but emotionally too\u2014for those left behind or deployed together.<\/p>\n<p>For instance: When preparing my battalion for Afghanistan after extensive training exercises together\u2014the sudden removal of our CSM due misconduct created chaos among ranks which could have had dire consequences if we were engaged directly with enemy forces shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n<p>This leads me back again\u2014to illustrate further\u2014the emotional toll felt by leaders who must make difficult decisions regarding personnel assignments during deployments versus those who abandon their posts entirely out self-interest like Tim Walz did at such critical junctures!<\/p>\n<p>Some may argue whether leaving one form service equates higher levels elsewhere\u2014but honestly? What happened here resembles abandoning children at an orphanage overnight simply because someone wants political power! <\/p>\n<p>Walz&#8217;s actions reflect poorly upon him personally beyond mere abandonment\u2014they reveal character flaws inconsistent with honorable military conduct expected from senior leaders entrusted with lives under their care!<\/p>\n<p>True military professionals will go above &amp; beyond\u2014even risking everything\u2014to ensure they stand shoulder-to-shoulder alongside comrades facing danger head-on rather than running away! <\/p>\n<p>So while critics may point fingers towards others who&#8217;ve also avoided service\u2014none compare morally speaking against actively choosing flight over duty especially given circumstances surrounding imminent conflict engagement responsibilities held previously!<\/p>\n<p>Moreover\u2014it gets worse still! Not only did Mr.Walz forsake obligations owed towards fellow servicemen\/women pursuing selfish ambitions\u2014but then proceeded boasting falsely claiming credit publicly regarding leadership roles never fulfilled nor earned through actual experience gained firsthand while serving honorably alongside them either!<\/p>\n<p>This constitutes despicable stolen valor indicative lacking integrity\/honor necessary fulfilling positions requiring utmost accountability\/trustworthiness expected within any public office\u2014including Vice Presidency itself!!<\/p>\n<p>If Master Sergeant (Ret.) Tim Walz couldn\u2019t uphold commitments made back then\u2014how can anyone expect him now lead effectively representing citizens\u2019 interests come future elections?<\/p>\n<p>His disgraceful behavior enrages veterans who&#8217;ve sacrificed dearly fighting overseas protecting freedoms enjoyed today\u2014we must mobilize efforts ensuring accountability remains paramount throughout electoral processes moving forward!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3355,"featured_media":2323575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/53915546703_d1d5c5cce1_k.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[37965,37962,37964,37963],"class_list":["post-2323574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-leadershipchallenges","tag-mastersergeant","tag-militaryhistory","tag-timothywalz"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/53915546703_d1d5c5cce1_k.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3355"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2323574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2323575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2323574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2323574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2323574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}