Perry, Reschenthaler sign letter criticizing Walz and military service

Fifty members of the Republican Party Congress, including a representative from Pennsylvania Scott Perry (R-10) and Guy Reschenthaler (R-14), signed a letter to the Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Waltzcriticizing the Minnesota governor for his portrayal of his military service record.

All 50 members are military veterans. This is in response to a letter from 18 Democratic congressional veterans defending Walz against attacks on his record.

Walz, who served for 24 years in the Army National Guard, came under fire after being called Vice President Kamala Harrisvice presidential candidate due to several obvious inaccuracies regarding his military service.

Initially, the Harris campaign referred to Walz as “retired sergeant major,” a rank he actually achieved but was demoted to master sergeant before retiring in 2005. The campaign later updated his online biography.

The governor spoke out about the attacks in a speech last week before the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union.

“These guys are attacking me even for my service. And I just want to say I’m proud to have served my country and I always will. With the encouragement of my dad — a guy who served in the Army during the Korean War — I joined the Army National Guard two days after my 17th birthday,” Walz said.

“Then in 2005, I felt a renewed calling, this time to serve my country in the hallways of Congress. My students inspired me to run for office,” he added.

The content of the letter is as follows:

To Governor Tim Walz:

The office of Vice President is a position that requires the trust of the American people and a staid commitment to perform your duties on behalf of the United States of America. As veterans who have served our nation, we feel compelled to address your blatant misrepresentations and urge you to be forthright with the American people.

You have stated that you are “proud as hell” of your service, and like every American veteran, you should be. But there is no honor in lying about the nature of your service. Repeatedly claiming to be a “retired sergeant major” when you did not meet the requirements was not honorable. Likewise, claiming to carry a weapon “in war” when you did not serve in war was not honorable, and abandoning the men and women under your command just before they were ready to deploy was certainly not honorable either.

Simply put, when you falsely claim military service that did not occur and abandon your position, you are diminishing the true sacrifices made by veterans who have served in combat. Military service is not just a job or a uniform. Those who serve in the Armed Forces undergo stringent training, face unsafe situations, and make sacrifices that most civilians cannot fathom. The honor of wearing a uniform is earned through dedication, courage, and an unwavering sense of duty. You have demonstrated none of these qualities because you lied to advance through a political career that was launched on the foundation of a title you did not earn and combat deployments you did not participate in.

In brief, our grave concerns stem from the fact that the office of Vice President is one heartbeat away from becoming Commander in Chief. You have already demonstrated your unwillingness to lead in war and your lack of honor through your blatant misrepresentations, exploiting and co-opting the experiences of American combat veterans for personal gain.

As a result, America’s veterans and service members rightly fear what will happen to them if you take over as president. When America asked you to lead its troops into war, you turned your back on your soldiers. You broke the trust of our brothers and sisters in combat. Their blood, sweat, and sacrifice are the only reason our nation exists. Until you admit that you lied to them, there is no way you can be trusted as vice president.

Kind regards,

• Brian Mast, Chairman, Trump Veterans and Military Families Committee; U.S. Representative (FL-21); U.S. Army
• Joni Ernst, U.S. Senator (IA); Army National Guard
• Roger Marshall, U.S. Senator (KS); U.S. Army Reserve
• Rick Scott, U.S. Senator (FL); U.S. Navy
• Roger Wicker, U.S. Senator (MS), U.S. Air Force Reserve
• Brian Babin, U.S. Representative (TX-36), U.S. Air Force
• Don Bacon, U.S. Representative (NE-02), U.S. Air Force
• Jim Baird, U.S. Representative (IN-04); U.S. Army
• Jim Banks, U.S. Representative (IN-03); U.S. Navy Reserve
• Jack Bergman, U.S. Representative (MI-01); U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
• Mike Bost, US Representative (IL-12), US Marine Corps
• Mike Carey, U.S. Representative (OH-15), U.S. Army Reserve
• Eli Crane, U.S. Representative (AZ-02); U.S. Navy
• Warren Davidson, U.S. Representative (OH-08); U.S. Army
• Neal Dunn, U.S. Representative (FL-02); U.S. Army
• Jake Ellzey, U.S. Representative (TX-06); U.S. Navy
• Pat Fallon, U.S. Representative (TX-04); U.S. Air Force
• Scott Fitzgerald, U.S. Representative (WI-05); U.S. Army Reserve
• Scott Franklin, U.S. Representative (FL-18); U.S. Navy
• Tony Gonzales, U.S. Representative (TX-23), U.S. Navy
• Mark Green, U.S. Representative (TN-07); U.S. Army
• Brett Guthrie, U.S. Representative (KY-02); U.S. Army
• Clay Higgins, U.S. Representative (LA-03); Army National Guard
• Wesley Hunt, U.S. Representative (TX-38); U.S. Army
• Darrell Issa, U.S. Representative (CA-48); U.S. Army
• Ronny Jackson, U.S. Representative (TX-13); U.S. Navy
• Jen Kiggans, U.S. Representative (VA-02); U.S. Navy
• Nick LaLota, U.S. Representative (NY-01); U.S. Navy
• Greg Lopez, U.S. Representative (CO-04); U.S. Air Force
• Barry Loudermilk, U.S. Representative (GA-11), U.S. Air Force
• Anna Paulina Luna, US Representative (FL-13); US Air Force
• Rich McCormick, U.S. Representative (GA-06); U.S. Navy
• Max Miller, U.S. Representative (OH-07), U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
• Mariannette Miller-Meeks, U.S. Representative (IA-01); U.S. Army
• Cory Mills, U.S. Representative (FL-07); U.S. Army
• Barry Moore, U.S. Representative (AL-02); Army National Guard
• Troy Nehls, U.S. Representative (TX-22), U.S. Army Reserve
• Zach Nunn, U.S. Representative (IA-03); U.S. Air Force Reserve
• Scott Perry, U.S. Representative (PA-10); Army National Guard
• August Pfluger, U.S. Representative (TX-11); U.S. Air Force
• Guy Reschenthaler, U.S. Representative (PA-14); U.S. Navy
• Hal Rogers, U.S. Representative (KY-05); Army National Guard
• Keith Self, U.S. Representative (TX-03); U.S. Army
• Gregory Steube, U.S. Representative (FL-17); U.S. Army
• William Timmons, U.S. Representative (SC-04); Air National Guard
• Derrick Van Orden, U.S. Representative (WI-03); U.S. Navy
• Michael Waltz, U.S. Representative (FL-06); Army National Guard
• Brandon Williams, U.S. Representative (NY-22); U.S. Navy
• Joe Wilson, U.S. Representative (SC-02); Army National Guard
• Ryan Zinke, U.S. Representative (MT-01); U.S. Navy