Trying to sort through the Walz military claims:
1) There were several articles that claimed he was deployed in Iraq. He was not. Unclear where the claim came from.
2) There was a book he endorsed that claimed he was deployed in Afghanistan. He was not. Unclear where the claim came from.
3) Walz has made numerous statements suggesting that he served in a war zone. These are, at best, exaggerations.
4) Walz did serve for 24 years. He was deployed in Italy during the time of Operation Enduring Freedom in a support role. His rank was master sergeant when he retired. He did achieve a provisional rank of command sergeant major, which he still claims on his website, but he did not finish the necessary coursework to maintain that rank prior to retirement.
5) Walz retired in May 2025 to run for office. There were rumors at the time about an upcoming deployment to Iraq, but the official alert for the 1st battalion came in July of 2025.
Those are the facts Iβve seen so far. Up to people to judge for themselves.