(NewsNation) — More than 1,000 veterans, service members and families signed a letter supporting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and commending his military service as Republicans have launched attacks on Walz about his time in the military.
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, have attacked Walz, accusing him of stolen valor and abandoning his troops for retiring from the National Guard prior to the unit’s deployment to Iraq.
Walz, according to records, retired two months before the unit got official orders that they would be sent to Iraq.
Others have raised concerns about how Walz talked about his deployment to Europe, which happened while the war in Afghanistan was happening. Some veterans have noted that Walz could be implying he was in combat when he was not.
Walz’s replacement in the National Guard has also spoken out against him.
Thomas Behrends told the New York Post he believes Walz is a “traitor” and a “coward” who claimed “stolen valor.”
“I needed to hit the ground running and take care of the troops — and tell them we were going to war,” Behrends told the New York Post. “For a guy in that position, to quit is cowardice.”
Other veterans, however, have defended Walz, who served 24 years in the National Guard prior to his retirement. The letter, first reported by USA Today, came from the group VoteVets, which also thanked Vance for his service while stating the signatories were “appalled” by the attacks.
The letter was signed by 1,048 people, including veterans, families, caregivers and survivors.
“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.”
Other vets have also spoken out. On “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” veteran Al Bonnifield emphasized that Walz was planning to retire and run for office before his unit had any orders to deploy to Iraq.
“He told us he wanted to run for Congress, and he was in a tough spot because he was pretty sure we were going to Iraq. We didn’t have orders. We didn’t have any kind of orders at all at this time, but he was pretty sure we were going,” Bonnefield said. “I don’t know why he made the decision to go to Congress. I can’t answer that. I know it wasn’t a cowardly move. I know that wasn’t. From the bottom of my heart, that was not a coward.”
On NewsNation’s The Hill, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., referred to the attacks from Trump and Vance as a “meltdown.”
“They have been insulting women. They’ve been insulting the police. Now they’re insulting veterans. Let’s put the facts on the table. Tim Walz served honorably for 24 years. He deployed multiple times to disaster areas,” Auchincloss said. “He was 4 years past his retirement when he had to make a hard decision between running for Congress or deploying with his unit to Iraq. He decided he could do more good for veterans in Congressm and he did.”
NewsNation’s Joe Khalil and Katie Smith contributed to this story.