'Appalled': Veterans slam Trump campaign's attacks on Tim Walz's military background

WASHINGTON — More than 1,000 veterans and military family members have signed an open letter saying they are "appalled at Donald Trump and JD Vance’s politically motivated attacks" on the military service of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz .

The letter, circulated with help from the left-leaning veterans advocacy group VoteVets, comes as Walz's 24-year record in the Army National Guard has become a target of the Trump campaign. Vance, Trump's running-mate, a U.S. senator from Ohio and also a fellow veteran, has attacked Walz's 2005 retirement from the military prior to his battalion's deployment to Iraq.

" JD Vance’s recent comments attacking Governor Walz’s service record are disrespectful and deeply disappointing, especially given Vance’s own service − which we are also profoundly grateful for," the letter, obtained by USA TODAY, reads. "But given Donald Trump’s long record of expressing disdain for service members, veterans, and their families, it’s unsurprising that his running mate has stooped to such lows."

More: The new 'Swift Boat?' Tim Walz's military service targeted by Trump campaign

Walz, the governor of Minnesota who Democratic nominee Kamala Harris picked as her running-mate last week, joined the National Guard out of high school at 17 years old on April 8, 1981 and served until May 16, 2005. Walz has said he retired from the guard to run for Congress, which he did successfully in 2006.

The alert order for Walz's unit to mobilize for Iraq was received on July 14, 2005 − almost two months after Walz had retired − and the unit mobilized Oct. 12, 2005, according to the Minnesota National Guard. But Walz appeared to know as early as March 2005 that his battalion could be sent to Iraq based on a press release from his first run for Congress.

"When the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did. I did what they asked me to do, and I did it honorably, and I'm very proud of that service," Vance said last week. "When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the army and allowed his unit to go without him."

"What bothers me about Tim Walz is the 'stolen valor' garbage. Do not to pretend to be something you're not," Vance said.

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Veteran supporters calls Walz a 'beacon of respect and support'

The letter is signed by 1,048 veterans, veteran families, military families, caregivers and survivors who support the Harris-Walz ticket. They praise Walz's military service, writing that "as individuals who have served and sacrificed for this nation, we are thrilled to see someone who served our country in uniform for decades on the ticket."

Among the veterans who signed the letter are retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner, who held top positions with the National Guard Bureau, and Brenda Sue Fulton, a former military officer and assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Biden administration. The veterans organization Common Defense also helped organize the letter.

"Governor Walz, a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, has demonstrated throughout his career a profound respect for those who serve, as well as their families," the letter reads. "His service, both in uniform and as a public servant, embodies the values of duty, honor, and commitment."

"Where Trump and Vance seek to diminish the sacrifices of our military community and renege on our obligation to veterans," it continues, "Governor Walz has always stood as a beacon of respect and support."

More: Tim Walz's working-class cred: no stocks, no bonds, and he doesn't own a home

Harris campaign says Walz 'misspoke' about carrying weapon into war

Vance and the Trump campaign have also accused Walz of embellishing his military record, seizing on past comments he made in support of gun control when the governor falsely said, "We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons are at." Walz was never deployed for combat.

Harris campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt told USA Today that Walz "misspoke."

"He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children," Hitt said in a statement.

Walz rose to the rank of command sergeant major in the Minnesota National Guard, but because he did not complete additional course work at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy before leaving the National Guard in 2005, he retired as a master sergeant.

Vance's attacks have drawn comparisons to the unsubstantiated "Swift Boat" claims against Democrat John Kerry in the 2004 presidential race against President George W. Bush. The group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth challenged Kerry's decorated Vietnam War record. Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, led the Swift Boat campaign attacking Kerry in 2004.

The Minnesota National Guard released additional detail Tuesday about Walz’s service, showing that he was eligible to retire three years before he ultimately ended his career as an enlisted soldier.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Guard announced that Walz received notice that he was eligible to retire Aug. 3, 2002. Walz would serve another three years, including a deployment to Europe.

It’s unclear when Walz filed his paperwork for retirement. Manner, who held top positions with the National Guard Bureau, told USA TODAY that it typically takes months to approve a retirement after papers are filed.