The former battalion commander of the National Guard unit where Tim Walz once served has publicly criticized Walz’s conduct during his military service. In a Facebook post, John Kolb expressed his discontent with Walz, stating, “I do not regret that Tim Walz retired early from the Minnesota Army National Guard, did not complete the Sergeants Major Academy, broke his enlistment contract, or failed to successfully complete any assignment as a Sergeant Major.”
Kolb accused Walz of “glomming on” to the Command Sergeant Major title and criticized his decision to leave the military before his unit’s deployment to Iraq. Walz, who is currently the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, retired from the National Guard in 2005 just as his unit was preparing to deploy. He left to pursue a political career and was later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives before becoming Minnesota’s governor in 2018.
In his post, Kolb praised Walz’s successor, Thomas Behrends, as the “right leader at the right time,” commending Behrends for his sacrifice and leadership during the deployment. Kolb contrasted this with Walz’s decision to leave, saying, “He did not earn the rank or successfully complete any assignment as an E9. It is an affront to the Noncommissioned Officer Corps that he continues to glom onto the title.”
Kolb, who became LTC of the battalion in August 2005, a few months after Walz’s retirement, expressed no personal opinion about Walz’s choice to retire early but criticized his service at the highest level, stating, “When the demands of service and leadership at the highest level got real, he chose another path.”
Behrends also took to Facebook to express his disdain for Walz, labeling him a “Traitor, Deserter, Military Imposter.” He criticized Walz for leaving the military when it no longer suited his political ambitions and questioned his suitability as a vice presidential candidate.
Walz’s military service has been a prominent aspect of his political image, with the Harris campaign branding him as “America’s dad.” However, recent reports have surfaced, suggesting that Walz left the National Guard to avoid deployment and made misleading claims about his service. Behrends further condemned Walz’s actions, stating, “He abandoned us. What kind of leader does that? As soon as the shots were fired in Iraq, he turned and ran the other way and hung his hat up and quit.”
In a separate interview, Behrends emphasized the importance of leadership in the military, saying, “When your country calls, you are supposed to run into battle — not the other way. He ran away. It’s sad. He had the opportunity to serve his country, and said ‘Screw you’ to the United States.”