Tim Walz’s military service controversy took a more profound turn this week after a resurfaced clip from 2009 showed a pair of veterans confronting his staff with accusations of “stolen valor.”
Stolen valor, the act of falsely claiming military service, honors, or awards that one has not earned, is often used by those seeking to gain benefits.
According to the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, it is a federal crime to fraudulently claim receipt of certain military awards, which can lead to fines and imprisonment.
Kamala Harris‘ new VP pick, Tim Walz, has consistently portrayed himself as “a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom,” the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan initiated after the September 11 attacks.
However, Walz was never deployed to Afghanistan and did not engage in any combat operations during his military career, the Free Beacon reported.
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His only service was in Italy, where he supported NATO forces, but not in the Middle East.
Another video from 2007 also showed Walz falsely claiming he deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“I spent 24 years in the National Guard, some of that full-time. I was an artilleryman. I deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. My battalion provided base security throughout the European theater from Turkey to England in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan. And that same battalion is now in Iraq at this time,” Walz said in 2007 on CSPAN.
Iraq War veteran David Thul confronted Walz’s aides in 2009, filing the encounter where he pointed out that Walz’s assertions could be interpreted as violations of the Stolen Valor Act.
Thul informed Walz’s aides that such misrepresentations could lead to jail time.
Thul presented evidence indicating that Walz did not serve in Afghanistan or engage in any combat actions, with one aide admitting she was “not aware” of Walz’s service there.
Thul went on to present the 2004 photo of Walz, holding a sign that says “Enduring Freedom Veterans for Care,” as well as Walz’s website, to another aide.
“Operation Enduring Freedom is limited to Afghanistan and the airspace directly above,” Thul explained during the encounter.
“Congressman Walz is clearly claiming … to be an Enduring Freedom veteran. Nobody disputes the fact that he is not an Afghanistan or Enduring Freedom veteran. So this represents a fairly serious issue.”
“Operation Enduring Freedom is limited to Afghanistan and the airspace directly above,” Thul told the aide.
“This right here, under current US law, could get the congressman probably thrown in jail in violation of 2006’s Stolen Valor Act, which says it is a federal crime to portray yourself in writing or verbally as having received an award or decoration by Congress that you didn’t receive. Congressman Walz is clearly claiming in this picture with this sign to be an Enduring Freedom veteran. Nobody disputes the fact that he is not an Afghanistan or an Enduring Freedom veteran. So this represents a fairly serious issue,” he said.
