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In interviews Walz has said he join the National Guard in 1982 to earn money for college. He decided to retire form the National Guard after learning his unit was on the list of Minnesota Army National Guard units likely to be deployed to Iraq. According to factcheck.org, “On March 20, 2005, Walz’s campaign put out a press released title…
In interviews Walz has said he join the National Guard in 1982 to earn money for college. He decided to retire form the National Guard after learning his unit was on the list of Minnesota Army National Guard units likely to be deployed to Iraq. According to FactCheck.org, “On March 20, 2005, Walz’s campaign put out a press released titled “Walz Still Planning to Run for Congress Despite Possible Call to Duty in Iraq.” Walz retired on May 16, 2005. His brigade received mobilization alert orders on July 14, 2005.
For 24 years Walz drew military pay to prepare for a combat deployment. He also qualified for a lifetime pension. But when it came time to deploy to a combat zone, he made the “hard decision” to abandoned his post rather than than his political ambitions. His unit spent 22 months in Iraq without Walz and returned in June 2007. Walz first became a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives in January 2007.