CINCINNATI (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s military record has come under scrutiny since he was nominated as the Democratic vice presidential nominee to replace Kamala Harris, with Republicans questioning both Walz’s account of his time in uniform and his departure from the service.

Here’s a look at Walz’s record and how it became a campaign issue:

Army National Guard Service

Walz served a total of 24 years in various branches of the Army National Guard before retiring in 2005. It is the circumstances of his retirement that Republicans criticized during the presidential election campaign.

According to the Nebraska Army National Guard, Walz enlisted as an infantryman in April 1981 – just two days after his 17th birthday – and completed a 12-week Army basic infantry course before graduating from high school.

While attending the University of Houston, he was reclassified as a field artillery gunner in 1985 as a member of the Texas Army National Guard and later served as an instructor in the Arkansas Army National Guard.

In 1987, Walz returned to the Nebraska National Guard and continued his field artillery duties while completing a college degree. In 1996, he transferred to the Minnesota Army National Guard.

As he prepared to run for Congress in 2005, Walz’s campaign issued a statement in March saying he intended to continue running despite a possible mobilization of Minnesota National Guard soldiers in Iraq. According to the National Guard, Walz retired from the service in May of that year.

In August 2005, the U.S. Department of the Army issued a mobilization order for Walz’s unit. The unit mobilized in October of that year before deploying to Iraq in March 2006.

Although Walz had already retired several months before the deployment order, Republicans point to the fact that he left the service before his unit was withdrawn to argue that he wanted to avoid being deployed to a combat zone.

When Walz finally left the military, he had reached the rank of command sergeant major, one of the highest ranks for an enlisted soldier. However, personnel records show that months after his retirement, he was demoted to master sergeant for pay reasons. Minnesota National Guard officials have said that Walz retired before completing training at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy and other requirements associated with his promotion.

Criticism from Republicans

Ohio Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate and a Marine Corps veteran himself, is among those who have questioned Walz’s service.

During his campaign rally in Michigan on Wednesday, Vance questioned whether Walz’s departure from the service months before his unit was due to deploy to Iraq was a “trash act of stolen valor.”

“Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not,” Vance said during a Shelby Township Police Department event. “I would be ashamed to say that I lied about my military service like you did.”

Democratic response

In a statement to the Associated Press, the Harris team opposed Republicans’ characterization of Walz’s military service and also pointed to his commitment to veterans during his time in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he chaired the Veterans Affairs Committee and was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform – and as Vice President of the United States, he will continue to be a tireless champion for our veterans and military families,” the campaign said.

In a post on X, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — who was stationed in Afghanistan as a U.S. Marine intelligence officer in 2014 — said Thursday that Republicans’ criticism of Walz was “strategic.” He argued that the Trump campaign “needs to engage us in debates about contingent promotions before retirement because they are desperately trying NOT to discuss their (unpopular) policies like tax cuts for the rich and banning abortion.”

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Associated Press reporters Trenton Daniel and Richard Lardner contributed to this report.

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You can reach Meg Kinnard at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

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