Report: Tim Walz Endorsed Book that Falsely Labeled Him a ‘National Guardsman Who Served in Afghanistan’

A report suggests that Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — Kamala Harris’s running mate in her 2024 presidential election bid — endorsed a book that falsely labeled him a “national guardsman who served in Afghanistan.”

The book, Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way, has been available since 2008 and has been making the rounds on social media ever since questions have swirled around Walz’s military record. The book’s Amazon page features the following endorsement from the governor when he was a then-congressman: “Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way provides a refreshing look at how to run an election in a grassroots people-powered way—just as the great Senator Paul Wellstone did—and win.” 

Considering that the book falsely said he “served in Afghanistan,” Tim Walz either did not read the book before he endorsed it or missed the following excerpt: 

Walz ran a campaign that highlighted his real experience and commitment to his community as his qualifications for serving the First District in Congress. A longtime National Guardsman who served in Afghanistan, Walz was a popular high school teacher and football coach…

While Walz served in the U.S. military for 24 years before retiring, he never saw combat and has no record of ever being deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq.

Matthew Betley, a screenwriter and novelist, noted on X that he previously corrected a book that falsely described his military record.

“That’s pretty bad. When my first book came out in 2016, one outlet — without asking me — described me as fighting in the streets of Fallujah (I wasn’t), and I was livid because I felt it dishonored fallen Marines who died in direct combat. I had it corrected immediately because taking indirect fire on a base (I did, a lot) was a lot different than doing patrols in Anbar in 2006. Walz should’ve forced that book to correct the record. It’s shameful and on him,” Betley said on X in response to the excerpt.

As Breitbart News reported, Walz has faced accusations of “stolen valor” over his military record, with claims that he “listed on his official biography a higher military rank than the one he ultimately retired with, drawing criticism from some veterans”:

Walz served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and retired at the rank of master sergeant, or an E-8. However, on his official website bio, he lists a higher rank that he served at for a short period that ultimately was rescinded, as he did not complete all the requirements to serve at that rank. However, his bio implies that he retired at the rank of command sergeant major, or an E-9.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (OH) also took issue with some of Walz’s claims during a press conference on Wednesday:

When the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq, to serve my country, I did it. I did what they asked me to do, and I did it honorably. And I’m very proud of that service. When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him, a fact that he’s been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people that he served with.

“I think it’s shameful to prepare your unit to go to Iraq, to make a promise that you’re going to follow through, and then to drop out right before you actually have to go,” he added.

A viral video, which the Kamala HQ account on X originally shared on Wednesday, featured Walz touting gun control before saying he carried a weapon in war:

I spent 25 years in the Army, and I hunt … I’ve been voting for common-sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can do CDC research … We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons are at. [Emphasis added]

The Kamala HQ account repeated his claim in the post sharing the clip.

A subsequent report from the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday also claimed that Walz had previously presented himself as a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. Per Breitbart News:

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who is facing accusations of stolen valor, allegedly falsely claimed in a previous press release that he was a veteran of Afghanistan.

In a 2006 press release issued by his campaign, Walz was described as being a “veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.”

The war in Afghanistan, which began on October 7, 2001, was called Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command website. The operation’s start came after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“Democrat Tim Walz will spend Sunday, Feb. 19th and Monday, Feb. 20th traveling across Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District as he formally announces his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives,” the press release said. “Walz, a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and longtime Mankato educator is unopposed for the DFL endorsement and is slated to challenge Rep. Gil Gutknecht in November of 2006.”

A photo at the time featured Walz at an anti-President George W. Bush protest in which he was seen carrying a sign that read, “Enduring Freedom Veterans for [John] Kerry.”

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.