The Progressive American

With little in terms of policy, the Republicans have taken to reviving swift-boating nonsense

The GOP has made its move against Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, and to say it is ugly is an understatement. Far from attacking his record or policies, Trump’s running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, has accused Gov. Walz of stolen valor, claiming that he didn’t earn the rank he chose and also claiming that Gov. Walz abandoned his unit before they went off to Iraq. The moves, which have largely been repudiated as quickly as they have been made available to the public, are yet another example of the GOP’s willingness to throw veterans under the bus and revive swiftboating garbage.

Right off the bat, it is worth noting that I am not, nor have I ever been, involved in the military. I have never served in any unit or seen combat in any way, shape, or form. I am not here to claim expertise on the state of the military or any of the people in it. Rather, I am only addressing this issue as a matter of frustration that a decorated serviceman’s record is being tarred yet again by the Republican Party. This kind of rhetoric has to stop.

What is Swift-Boating?

Swift-boating, insofar as it relates to politics, refers to a dirty smear campaign that was orchestrated by the presidential campaign of then-Governor George W. Bush and Republican activist Chris LaCavita. The latter of the two currently serves as Trump’s campaign manager. Under this plan, a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth smeared then-Democratic nominee and Vietnam veteran John Kerry’s military service, alleging that his service as the commanding officer of a swift boat in Vietnam was fabricated. 

This smear campaign stuck, and the record of a man who not only served his country with distinction but received three separate purple hearts for his service would end up losing the election to George W. Bush. The results of his presidency would lead the United States into an illegal war of aggression against Iraq and to multiple war crimes being committed in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. Now, Republicans are doing it again in the hopes of, once again, undermining the service record of a veteran.

What is J.D. Vance Saying?

Vance’s accusations are multifaceted and equally ridiculous. The first accusation, addressed and debunked in a previous gubernatorial election, alleges that Gov. Walz abandoned his unit right before they went to Iraq. The accusation comes from a former Guardsman named Thomas Behrend. Behrend previously claimed that Walz abandoned his unit with his decision to retire before the unit deployed. 

However, as the StarTribune explained in 2022, there is very little evidence that Gov. Walz knew his unit would be deployed to Iraq or that his retirement papers were processed within the time frame of his unit receiving their official deployment orders. NPR explains in more detail that Gov. Walz retired in May of 2005, two months before his 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery, was deployed to Iraq. 

This would mean that Walz likely made the decision and filed the necessary paperwork several months before any such deployment orders were even on the table. Furthermore, Walz’s former unit wouldn’t be deployed to Iraq until ten months after Walz had retired, making the accusation weak at best and downright disgraceful at worst. Several of his former guardsmen have also pointed this out. This accusation is perhaps one of the most disgusting, as Walz had already served twenty years before 9-11 and reenlisted to serve after the terrorist attacks had occurred. In the simplest of terms, the Trump campaign is trying to paint a man who served two decades and went back to serve again as a coward. Nor is this the only example of Vance’s disgusting accusations.

The other accusation lies in confusion with Walz’s rank. Gov. Walz served as a command master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank. However, during his retirement process, Gov. Walz retired as a master sergeant for benefit purposes and because he hadn’t completed the necessary coursework to keep the label into retirement. 

Again, Vance has attempted to portray Walz’s use of the rank, which he undeniably held, as an inflation and a form of stolen valor. To understand how ridiculous this is, consider that the initial biography for Walz that the Harris campaign put up referred to Gov. Walz as a “retired master sergeant.” It currently refers to him as “..an Army veteran who served as a command sergeant major.” The result is the same, and yet Vance, who is running with an alleged draft dodger and a convicted felon, is attempting to use a difference in phrasing and paperwork as a weapon to demean and disparage a fellow veteran.

The Final Accusation

The final accusation by Vance and the Trump campaign is less substantive than the previous ones, though it is an example of poor wording by Walz. It largely comes from a video released by the Harris campaign in which Gov. Walz argued in favor of gun control and lambasted what he called “weapons of war.” In a speech, Gov. Walz said, “We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at…” The issue is obvious here, but the intent is also quite clear. Walz is specifically emphasizing the danger of the unregulated uses of firearms as potentially turning the U.S. into a war zone rather than arguing that he served in combat. In response to Vance, who explicitly referred to the statement by Walz as “stolen valor,” the Harris campaign released a statement by saying:

“In his 24 years of service, the Governor carried, fired, and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times. Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way.”

In the clearest of terms, Walz referred to the weapons in the context of their warlike nature, not the context of his service. Walz never claimed to have seen combat, and the fact that Vance is trying to portray Walz’s service record in that light is an indictment of his character. If Vance wants to hold his record over Walz, that is his prerogative, but considering his running mate is the same man who referred and denigrated John McCain for being a prisoner of war, I sincerely doubt this attack will go anywhere. 

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References

Benen, Steve. 2024. “Maddow Blog | It’s Not Just Birtherism Making a Comeback, so Is Swift-Boating.” MSNBC. https://www.yahoo.com/news/maddow-blog-not-just-birtherism-134919944.html (August 9, 2024).

Eder, Steve. 2018. “Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam?” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/us/politics/trump-vietnam-draft-exemption.html (August 9, 2024).

Lawrence, Quil. 2024. “Vance Accused Walz of ‘stolen Valor.’ What to Know about Walz’s Military Record.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/08/08/nx-s1-5068668/vance-walz-stolen-valor-military-record (August 9, 2024).

Mitovich, Jared. 2024. “Harris Campaign Tweaks Walz Biography amid Scrutiny of Military Credentials.” POLITICO. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/08/harris-walz-military-credentials-00173236 (August 9, 2024).

Olson, Rochelle. 2022. “GOP Opponent Who Never Served Criticizes Gov. Tim Walz’s Exit from National Guard.” The Star Tribune. https://www.startribune.com/walzs-24-years-in-national-guard-get-renewed-scrutiny-from-gop-opponent-who-didnt-serve/600216280 (August 9, 2024).