A man who served in the military with Democrat vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says that Walz was aware his unit would deploy to Iraq before he decided to retire in 2005 despite some claiming that he had no idea about the upcoming deployment.
Allan Bonnifield, who supports the Democrat vice presidential pick, has told multiple reporters that Walz’s decision to retire weighed heavily on him because he knew his unit was going to deploy.
According to MPR News, Bonnifield, who met Walz in 1999, said in a 2018 interview that Walz debated focusing on a run for Congress or staying in the National Guard.
MPR News reported:
“He weighed that decision to run for Congress very, very heavy,” Bonnifield said. “He loved the military, he loved the Guard, he loved the soldiers that he worked with, and making that decision was very tough for him. Especially knowing that we were going on another deployment to Iraq. He didn’t take that decision lightly at all.” [Emphasis added]
Bonnifield also told a News Nation reporter on Thursday that accusations that Walz retired to avoid a deployment were “bullshit” but then confirmed that Walz knew an upcoming deployment for the unit was an “inevitability”:
Bonnifield says the entire unit was convinced it was an inevitability that they WOULD be deployed to Iraq soon. They hadn’t been given the orders to deploy yet. But Bonnifield says they, Walz included, assumed it was coming:
“He told us that he wanted to run for Congress, and he was in a tough spot, because he was pretty sure we were going to Iraq. We didn’t have orders. We didn’t have any kind of orders at all. At this time, he was pretty sure we were going, and he was in a position that pretty sure meant we were going.”
4/8 Here’s where it gets more nuanced. Bonnifield says the entire unit was convinced it was an inevitability that they WOULD be deployed to Iraq soon. They hadn’t been given their orders to deploy yet. But Bonnifield says they, Walz included, assumed it was coming:
— Joe Khalil (@JoeKhalilTV) August 8, 2024
“He told us…
Supporters of Walz note that he retired from the National Guard in May 2005, and his unit received an alert order for deployment in July 2005 and official orders in August 2005. However, troops — particularly leaders, which Walz was at the time — typically know about official notifications months in advance.
The Minnesota National Guard acknowledged in an email sent to reporters that there are “unofficial alerts” and notices and told Breitbart News it did not have any information on when an unofficial notice may have been given to Walz’s unit.
Joel Berry, Marine veteran and managing editor of the Babylon Bee, noted that units receive “warning orders” before “alert orders” to deploy.
He posted on X:
The media is trying to report that Tim Walz retired before he knew his unit was deploying, since he retired 2 months before his unit received “alert orders” to deploy. What they’re not telling you is that units also receive something called “warning orders” much earlier—months, sometimes years in advance. Tim Walz knew his unit was deploying to Iraq, which is why he quit.
The media is trying to report that Tim Walz retired before he knew his unit was deploying, since he retired 2 months before his unit received “alert orders” to deploy. What they’re not telling you is that units also receive something called “warning orders” much earlier—months,…
— Joel Berry (@JoelWBerry) August 8, 2024
Even according to Walz himself, he was acutely aware of the likelihood of a deployment by at least March.
Walz had filed as a candidate for Congress on January 5, 2005, according to a Federal Election Commission document, and, in March 2005, his campaign sent out a press statement that said the National Guard Public Affairs Office announced a “possible partial mobilization of roughly 2,000 troops from the Minnesota National Guard.”
“The announcement from the National Guard PAO specified that all or a portion of Walz’s battalion could be mobilized to serve in Iraq within the next two years,” Walz’s campaign said in the statement. In the statement, Walz said he did not know if his unit would be part of the mobilization but acknowledged that, as the top enlisted leader of his unit, he had a “responsibility” to “ready my battalion for Iraq” and “serve if called on.”
He said, “As Command Sergeant Major I have a responsibility not only to ready my battalion for Iraq, but also to serve if called on. I am dedicated to serving my country to the best of my ability, whether that is in Washington DC or in Iraq.”
Despite this statement, he retired two months later.
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