Republican lawmakers with military experience attacked the military record of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) in a letter laying out claims that the vice-presidential nominee had inflated his retirement rank and shirked from duty in his Army National Guard career.
Yet the letter published Wednesday includes signees who have wrongfully claimed retirement ranks and military awards they did not earn.
That includes Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.), who signed the letter with the retirement rank of Navy rear admiral. While Jackson served in and retired at the one-star rank of rear admiral (lower half), a Pentagon inspector general’s report substantiated claims of misconduct when he served as a White House physician. In response, the Navy bumped his retirement rank down to captain in 2022, The Washington Post reported in March. Yet Jackson and former president Donald Trump have since falsely described him as a retired rear admiral.
Another signee, Army veteran Rep. Troy E. Nehls (R-Tex.), often wore a Combat Infantryman Badge on his lapel while on Capitol Hill. The coveted badge is awarded to qualified infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers who engage in direct ground combat. Nehls was awarded the badge for service in Afghanistan, but it was rescinded last year because he was serving as a civil affairs officer, not an infantryman, CBS News reported. Nehls stopped wearing the pin in June.
Walz served as a command sergeant major in the Army National Guard, but he retired as a master sergeant, one rank down, because he did not finish the required coursework. Walz has often referred to himself as a retired command sergeant major, and the Harris campaign amended that language on its website after the scrutiny. Walz retired to pursue politics and left before his unit received his deployment orders, a decision that he says he struggled with and that later became an avenue for Republicans to attack his leadership qualities.
Yet the letter published Wednesday includes signees who have wrongfully claimed retirement ranks and military awards they did not earn.
That includes Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.), who signed the letter with the retirement rank of Navy rear admiral. While Jackson served in and retired at the one-star rank of rear admiral (lower half), a Pentagon inspector general’s report substantiated claims of misconduct when he served as a White House physician. In response, the Navy bumped his retirement rank down to captain in 2022, The Washington Post reported in March. Yet Jackson and former president Donald Trump have since falsely described him as a retired rear admiral.
Another signee, Army veteran Rep. Troy E. Nehls (R-Tex.), often wore a Combat Infantryman Badge on his lapel while on Capitol Hill. The coveted badge is awarded to qualified infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers who engage in direct ground combat. Nehls was awarded the badge for service in Afghanistan, but it was rescinded last year because he was serving as a civil affairs officer, not an infantryman, CBS News reported. Nehls stopped wearing the pin in June.
Walz served as a command sergeant major in the Army National Guard, but he retired as a master sergeant, one rank down, because he did not finish the required coursework. Walz has often referred to himself as a retired command sergeant major, and the Harris campaign amended that language on its website after the scrutiny. Walz retired to pursue politics and left before his unit received his deployment orders, a decision that he says he struggled with and that later became an avenue for Republicans to attack his leadership qualities.
