Veterans groups hit back at J.D. Vance for claiming Tim Walz had 'stolen valor'

LTC Kevin B. - Should people hate him absolutely not. Do people like me that it took years to tolerate fireworks again after being in theater have a right to call him out, absolutely. I spent eight months at a field hospital seeing what people do to other people, many civilians, many children, and perhaps if I had not seen that I would be easier on the guy. I have also been to Italy where he deployed and it is lovely. We have all seen people like Tim Walz that inflate their stories however he is running for the second highest political office in the country and I need that person to be smart enough to know this was going to be out for the entire country to talk about. Nothing wrong with never having deployed to a combat zone but he should have known selling that story was eventually going to burn him.

MAJ Byron Oyler - This story was already out there because it had been brought up in two previous campaigns (that Walz won). I suspect they knew it would be out there, but just didn't expect the right to act so venomous about it. I also find that surprising because these are the same people who defended GWB when he was flying the friendly skies of Texas during the Vietnam War, while also ridiculing Al Gore for being in the rear writing stories. These are also the same people who attacked John Kerry's combat service (which all turned out to be false accusations), while protecting that same GWB. And, JD Vance is acting all high and mighty when he wasn't out there kicking down doors and engaging with the enemy either (his role was very much like Al Gore's). And, he's doing so while being on the ticket with someone who used his family's influence to avoid serving all together. When taken in that broader context, this all comes across to me as nothing more than another clear example of political theater.

LTC Kevin B. - It is politics and Dan Quayle caught just as much heat in 1989 for only serving in the NG.

MAJ Byron Oyler - Quayle was paired up with a WWII combat vet who earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. The Democrats definitely couldn't find anything about GHWB's military background to attack, so Quayle was the "soft target". With that being said, it didn't help because GHWB won that election. I don't think this line of attack will help either.

SFC Kelly Fuerhoff - What is your source for your assertion about J.D. Vance's performance as a Marine.

I suspect you are just picking apart anything because he's a Republican. If he was Democrat, you'd be all over him, fawning over him.

In no particular order, some reasons I wouldn't vote for governor Walz to become the vice-president:
_as governor, budget increases to the Minnesota state budget that are unsustainable without massive increases in state income tax and state corporate tax.
_approval of a tax credit of $1750 per child for an unlimited number of children that is fully refundable to the family even if they earned $0 and have no tax liability, as long as they file a tax return.
_Worked for and signed legislation that will remove children from the homes of their parents for refusing gender affirming care including hormone therapy and gender re-assignment surgery
_Worked for and signed a bill making college tuition and fees free for student who are Minnesota residents with a personal or family income of less than 80,000 a year. it sounds good but it increases the demand for college without increasing the supply. The result is that it will drive up the cost of tuition for all paying students. This offer extends to illegal aliens.
_Worked for and signed a bill providing free breakfast and lunch for all students attending public schools REGARDLESS of household income.
_Worked for and signed a bill which will provide for a maximum of 20 weeks paid family and medical leave in any 12-month period. These benefits are "paid" by the state but are funded through payroll deductions on wages. Which actually means the workers that show up for work will be paying the wages of those that do not show up for work.
_Worked for and signed a bill that raised the sales tax to create a fund for down payment assistance for first time home buyers. Once again increasing demand, doing nothing to increase supply and causing a further increase in the cost of starter homes.
_Worked for and signed a bill that requires all public utilities providers to produce 80% of their energy from renewable sources by 2030 and 100% by 2040. A goal which experts say is unattainable, result in huge increases in home energy costs, drive industry out of Minnesota, result in frequent power outages during the hottest and coldest months in the year.
_Worked for and signed a bill that provides free menstrual products in both the male and female bathrooms of all public schools. Boys don't menstruate.
_Worked for and signed a bill which encouraged people to spy on their neighbors and places of worship to report violations of the state's COVID masking and distancing policy
_Worked for and signed legislation allowing unauthorized immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses and giving them publicly subsidized health care coverage.
_Submitted budgets that slashed funding for crisis pregnancy and pre-natal care facilities that do not provide abortion services as well.

SFC Kelly Fuerhoff - How many times have you told someone you went to war? Zero for me and I do not call myself a combat vet. I do not consider Vance's time as an E4 in country as anything special that specifically prepared him for executive office. More damage has been done to vets in the last 20yrs placing them on a pedestal than in the past 100. Republican, Democrat, being a vet does not make you infallible and you know in our culture we will call you out. Dan Quale as Bush's VP caught more hell in 1988 from his national guard service than Walz has and he was a republican.

SFC Kelly Fuerhoff - He acts like he did something special? How so?

I'll freely admit that I don't think military service is an indicator that someone will be good at governing. Most of the service members I got to know and respect, would be horrible in public office. They view the world in black and white. they make a decision and have little patience for feelings, power plays or office politics; and they expect the task to be done efficiently and damn quick. that's great in a military environment. it doesn't work well in the civilian world where everyone thinks they are royalty and must be treated as such.

I'll agree with you on the hypocrite stuff, but you have to concede that Vice President Harris flip flop on President Biden in the 2020 election cycle from primary opponent to running mate, and the change in rhetoric is cut from the same cloth.

MSgt Steve Sweeney - The suckers and losers nonsense is based on one article in the Atlantic with two anonymous sources. Only one of those sources claims to have directly heard it. The other claims to have heard discussion of it. Multiple sources that are not fans of President Trump who were on the trip deny hearing even a whisper of it. Give it up.

The "well joey down the street was doing it too" argument doesn't cut it. Governor Walz is running for higher office. If someone embellishes his record, intentional or not, he should correct it.