An Open Letter to Master Sergeant (Ret.) Tim Walz

Wow, there sure has been a lot of fuss and feathers over your military service; lots of stories, lots of videos, lots of nagging doubts about your record big guy. First of all, thank you for your service in the Minnesota National Guard for 24 years. Nevertheless, let’s talk about some of the gaping, bleeding holes in your personal military narrative. Let’s discuss some issues that are really irritating veterans and especially combat veterans.

You’re not a retired command sergeant major. While you served for a brief time as a command sergeant major, “You retired as a Master Sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because you did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy."

So, stop calling yourself a retired command sergeant major. I don’t call myself a retired major general, because I was never a major general, nor am I retired from the military, capiche.

FACT: In 2004, as acting command sergeant major, you put in your retirement papers when you discovered that your unit, the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery Regiment would deploy to the sandbox within months. As the senior non-commissioned officer, you bugged out and left your men. While they were at war in Iraq for 22 months, fighting and dying for their country, you practiced your little Buddhist bow as you ran for Congress. There’s a yellow streak down your back as long as I-80, cowboy. I can tell you Master Sergeant Walz, that you are lucky you didn’t run into a certain command sergeant major I knew, who served FIVE years in Vietnam with the 173rd ABN and who would have wall to wall counseled you into the mass of quivering jelly that you are.

Stop telling people you carried a weapon in war. In 2003, you deployed to Vincenza, Italy, in SUPPORT of Operation Enduring Freedom. You were never within 5000 miles of any shot and shell. The only elephant you saw was a glass figurine in a China shop in Naples. The US Army hasn’t fired a shot in anger in Italy since1945 and brave guys like Bob Dole gave all that mortality can give at places like Castel d’ Aiano and Riva Ridge and Anzio. Your biggest worry was the leaning tower of Pisa falling on you or choking on a cannoli, coach…you were an extra in a remake of Roman Holiday with J Lo and Ben Affleck.

You aren’t an Enduring Freedom vet. Stop nodding along with journalists when they accidentally call you one, stop holding signs that read, “Enduring Freedom Vets for Kerry.”

Stop talking about’ whispering about your PTSD’ when you got back; about how you feel guilty about returning from the conflict when others didn’t, as if you’re a white horseshoe head version of Private James Ryan. Give me a break. “When we got back…the guilt… bodies on the tarmac at Bagram”…Shut the F up.

Stop pretending that you’re something you’re not. You’re not a command sergeant major. You’re not a combat vet. In fact, you are the anti-combat vet. You ran from the sound of the guns, not to them like many brave men I know and knew. Your actions are disgraceful and in violation of the Stolen Valor Act. You should be prosecuted and thrown in a jail cell in Tangiers for six months with some French Foreign Legion vets who would use your bald head as a pool cue in the exercise yard.

You’re not one of the souls that ‘fought with us on St Crispin’s Day. You’re one of the men who was in Minnesota abed, and who forever thinks himself accursed’, don’t you?

I don’t walk around telling people I was a Navy SEAL sniper with Chris Kyle or I with Delta in the Mog. Or, I won the DSC in Grenada. But, I’m proud of my service as a MI officer who rode with the 7th Cavalry at place called 73 Easting, Iraq.

You are not part of the Band of Brothers, you are not part of ‘the few, we happy few.’ You are not fit to stand in the company of the brave troopers who gave all in our wars.

And, you are lucky that my old mentor Colonel David Hackworth is not alive today. He would have chewed you up and spit you out like the piece of blubbering, bowing, Bolshevik bubble gum you are. Hack, the most decorated vet walking the USA in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s did not suffer fools and could spot a feather merchant perfumed prince like you at 1000 yards in the dead of night. You might remember how he outed another stolen valor fraud, Admiral Boorda, for wearing a V device on his Navy Commendation Medal.

Frankly with your ties and love of all things communist and Chinese, I wonder how in the hell you drifted off the S2’s radar and what in the hell what you were doing over there on your honeymoon? Was that when you and your wife made first contact with your case officer? Your comments about communism and your numerous trips there are a cacophonic cry in the night for someone in counter-intelligence to crawl up your yellow backside and do a serious special background investigation on you, Comrade Coach.

Yes, Master Sergeant you can smile and wave and do your little Mao bow to your followers, but the truth is in the dark of Minnesota nights when you return to bed from a milk and cookies run and you can’t sleep, your mind drifts off to the fact that you know you ran from the sound of the guns. And, as Bill Shakespeare so eloquently wrote, “a coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once.”

Your first question:

I’m not a fan of Mr. Walz but regarding his rank when he retired, I ask what is on his retirement papers from the Army. His true title is Master Sergeant (Retired).
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The answer is straight from the MNG:

“While Walz temporarily held the title of command sergeant major he “retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy,” Army Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, the Minnesota National Guard’s State Public Affairs Officer, told Just the News.

The statement reignited a controversy that began during his 2018 election for governor in which National Guardsman claimed on social media and in a paid ad that Walz declined to deploy to Iraq for combat duty in 2005 and forfeited his title of command sergeant major. Walz chose to run for Congress that year.

The governor’s biography, published on the state’s official website, says that “Command Sergeant Major Walz” retired from the Minnesota National Guard in 2005. At the time he was serving as one of the highest ranking members of the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion.

The Minnesota National Guard disputed his description of his final rank.

“Governor Tim Walz served from April 8, 1981, to May 16, 2005. Governor Walz served in the Minnesota National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery after transferring from the Nebraska National Guard in 1996. While serving in Minnesota, his military occupational specialties were 13B - a cannon crewmember who operates and maintains cannons and 13Z -field artillery senior sergeant. In Nebraska, he served as a 11Z - infantry senior sergeant, and a 71L - administrative specialist. He held multiple positions within field artillery such as firing battery chief, operations sergeant, first sergeant, and culminated his career serving as the command sergeant major for the battalion,” Army Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, Minnesota National Guard’s State Public Affairs Officer, told Just the News in a statement Wednesday.

“He retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy,” she added.

According to Army Regulation 600-8-19, a solider who does not complete the requisite coursework results is automatically demoted.

“The Soldier must complete the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Course as a condition of this promotion. Failure to meet the condition will cause demotion per AR 600 – 8 – 19,” the regulation reads.”
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/4256919/posts

He needs to stop referring to himself as CSM (Retired) because that is not true, at all.
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Your 2nd question:

Also, regarding his “leaving his men”, what normally happens when an officer in charge of soldiers retires? Given that he was retiring, what should he have done?
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Walz was not planning on retiring when he was selected for CSM academy and frocked as E9, even though he had enough years to retire. He still had a few years left on his re-enlistment, which is required for one selected for a leadership academy. When a service member is selected for a senior enlisted academy, it’s understood the training will be completed and the billet filled. The ANG wants to get the return on their investment in training him. It’s a difficult school to get and they aren’t going to waste it on someone getting out.

Walz accepted the selection and understood this. He didn’t want to retire until he realized his unit was deploying. That’s when he dropped his papers. People who work the system like that are looked down upon in the military because it shows they are poor leaders who put themselves first and let their people down.

What Walz should have done is complete his commitment to his unit and MNG by finishing the academy, making E9 permanent and deploying as ordered. This may be hard to understand by people who haven’t served, but those who have get it. Also, vets don’t have respect for those who misrepresent their rank.

The reason that some of us get exercised over this, is that when a man (or a lady) gets to the higher ranks, your responsibility increases. You are assigned a certain number of troops and you have the responsibility to make sure that they are healthy, as well-trained as you can get them, and if there is war to be fought, you're there - where your experience and training are there to support them, and maybe keep more of them alive for their families.

Retiring just as the news comes that your unit is being deployed into combat and leaving them to people your junior is shameful and not in keeping with the ethos of good military leadership.

John Kerry wasn't much of a leader because, even though he did stick with his crew in Vietnam, he chose to take the first chance to go home - he had been very lightly wounded ("Band-Aid Wounds") three times in only three months, so he left after that short time and left his crew behind and went home, while our own Rifle Company Commander was hit hard by a pistol round through the inside of his right thigh but concealed his wound for days - just rubbed Johnson & Johnson First Aid cream into hole - but by day three, he collapsed from blood loss and infection and had to evacuated out. (Our battalion commander came forward, pulled his pants down to look at his wound and said "Tom, the good news is that nothing important was hit - the bad news is, you're going home")

Faithful leaders stay with their men, no matter what.

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