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Tim Walz abandoned his soldiers when they deployed to Iraq

Nomad4Ever said:
Was the "mission accomplished" banner as corny and humorous as it looks in the picture, or was it only the later context sticking around years after the mission had been accomplished that make it so iconic?
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Our mission was done. We had been out to sea, away from Everette WA since July 2002. We were only supposed to be out for OEF, doing missions in the Indian Ocean (which was hot and crappy because we kept having to clean out places not normally needing such cleaning out to sea, sea life there was a bitch). On Jan 1st 2003 though, after already heading home, we got turned around and a shipboard message from our Admiral that we were being turned around, hitting Australia to have our flight deck redone (would take 2 weeks but we would technically be out of our certification without doing it) and then into the Persian Gulf as the 5th Carrier group participating in OIF, Shock and Awe. That lovely man decided to tell everyone aboard "get over it", then immediately left the ship, leaving our CO to do morale cleanup. We got back in May 2003. Honestly, most of the crew didn't care about the banner beyond seeing it as a "hey, we're done" thing.

On a personal note on that deployment, I broke my nose early in, and about 2 hours after that announcement to turn around, I got an AmCross message about my grandmother dying. That deployment was stressful.
 
trixare4kids said:
Maybe an opinion by a combat veteran will hopefully change your mind.

To Combat Veterans Like Me, Tim Walz's Abandonment of His Unit Is Unforgivable

"Here's the truth: He indeed spent 24 years as an enlisted soldier in the Minnesota National Guard. As far as I can tell, he deployed once to Italy and once to Norway. But when it was finally his turn to deploy in the actual Global War on Terror, Walz instead chose his own aspirations over leadership. In a letter posted to Facebook in 2018, veterans from his unit said Walz retired from the National Guard after learning his battalion would be deployed to Iraq—though he assured his troops he would join them.

Walz would have been the Battalion Command Sergeant Major, the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer and arguably the most important leader in his unit. And in the moment they needed him most, when they were about to deploy to Iraq, Walz chose to abandon his men to run for Congress. According to sources within the unit, three of his soldiers died on that deployment.

This isn't a leader. This is a man who uses others to further his own ambitions, then discards them when they become inconvenient. He abandoned his men and left the military before completing the school necessary to become a Command Sergeant Major—though this hasn't stopped him from using the title on the Minnesota government site in his bio. To me as a combat veteran, this kind of abdication of leadership is unforgivable. It's the true measure of the man, and all I need to know about him."
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Swift boating.....sooooooo original.
 
Bodecea said:
I was at 32nd St waiting with some of the families.....who had to wait another day because of a photo op.
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We were ready to drop our airwing off and hurry back home. We had another couple of days from San Diego.
 
RF667799 said:
Sorry. Still no such thing as a "Command Master Sgt".
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I misspoke due to not knowing Army nomenclature....thinking along the lines of Navy terms like "Command Master Chief".
 
Geoist said:
Did this writer vote for the 'I prefer soldiers who don't get caught' guy?
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No question...


Curiously, Dan's linkedin talks a LOT about the infantry but the tasks he mentions seem an awful lot like REMF tasks...

www.linkedin.com

Daniel Hollaway - Drinkin Bros Podcast | LinkedIn

Experience: Drinkin Bros Podcast · Education: Penn State University · Location: San Antonio · 500+ connections on LinkedIn. View Daniel Hollaway’s profile on LinkedIn, a professional community of 1 billion members.
www.linkedin.com www.linkedin.com
 
JMB1911A1 said:
I am not attacking per se.

I am just pointing out the fact that Tim Walz is misrepresenting his military service.

As someone who did spend a year in Iraq, I find that offensive.
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en.wikipedia.org

Tim Walz - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
Military Service
With his father's encouragement, Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard when he turned 17. His father had served in the Korean War and paid for his education degree with the G.I. Bill, and wanted his son to have the same opportunity.

Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years after enlisting in 1981. During his military career, he had postings in Arkansas, Texas, the Arctic Circle, New Ulm, Minnesota, and elsewhere. He trained in heavy artillery. During his service, he worked in disaster response postings following floods and tornadoes and was deployed overseas. In 1989, he earned the title of Nebraska Citizen-Soldier of the Year.

He was deployed post-9/11 for half a year to Europe to support Operation Enduring Freedom. His decorations included the Army Commendation Medal and two Army Achievement Medals. Walz attained the rank of command sergeant major near the end of his service, but retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.
 
Cardinal said:
Answer your own questions, then prove your conclusion. Look, we already know you're lying about Walz, so there's no reason you wouldn't lie about your service.
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JMB1911A1 said:
What disinformation?

Did Tim Walz retire just 3-1/2 years after signing a 6 year commitment? YES HE DID
Did Tim Walz retire after his unit got orders to deploy to Iraq? YES HE DID
Did Tim Walz fail to fulfill the requirements of attendance at the US Army Sergeant Majors Academy and as a result was demoted from E-9 to E-8? YES HE DID

Those are all confirmed facts.
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Conclusion, Tim Walz didn't want to deploy to Iraq and was willing to forfeit retirement at the pay grade of E-9.
 
trixare4kids said:
Maybe an opinion by a combat veteran will hopefully change your mind.

To Combat Veterans Like Me, Tim Walz's Abandonment of His Unit Is Unforgivable

"Here's the truth: He indeed spent 24 years as an enlisted soldier in the Minnesota National Guard. As far as I can tell, he deployed once to Italy and once to Norway. But when it was finally his turn to deploy in the actual Global War on Terror, Walz instead chose his own aspirations over leadership. In a letter posted to Facebook in 2018, veterans from his unit said Walz retired from the National Guard after learning his battalion would be deployed to Iraq—though he assured his troops he would join them.

Walz would have been the Battalion Command Sergeant Major, the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer and arguably the most important leader in his unit. And in the moment they needed him most, when they were about to deploy to Iraq, Walz chose to abandon his men to run for Congress. According to sources within the unit, three of his soldiers died on that deployment.

This isn't a leader. This is a man who uses others to further his own ambitions, then discards them when they become inconvenient. He abandoned his men and left the military before completing the school necessary to become a Command Sergeant Major—though this hasn't stopped him from using the title on the Minnesota government site in his bio. To me as a combat veteran, this kind of abdication of leadership is unforgivable. It's the true measure of the man, and all I need to know about him."
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Won't make any difference to the Harris/Walz cult. They are all in that Tim is brave soldier.
 
JMB1911A1 said:
Conclusion, Tim Walz didn't want to deploy to Iraq and was willing to forfeit retirement at the pay grade of E-9.
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You’re just repeating your conclusion. You didn’t actually prove it. So your conclusion is even phonier than your “military service.”
 
RF667799 said:
Yeah. He might have been so hostile because he questioned the service of another poster on the basis of that "Command Master Sgt" thing.

So was understandably upset when I pointed out that shit didn't exist anyway.
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Which clearly started with the claim that Walz was wrong or lying about claiming that he held the highest enlisted rank of a serving Congressmember, a clearly partisan snipe, especially when Walz never denied that he didn't fully meet the final requirements, but the Army had already said he could legitimately still claim serving in that rank.
 
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