This year we have three men nominated as part of the Democratic and Republican quadrennial national Presidential tickets: Walz (Blue VP), Trump (Red President), and Vance (Red VP). Two days after a Memorial to the final 13 Americans who died at the end of the Twenty-Year American War in Afghanistan, it is perhaps appropriate to consider the candidates’ individual records of honorable service to our country during their respective lifetimes.
Tim Walz was born in West Point Nebraska on April 6, 1964. Two days after his 17th birthday in 1981 he volunteered and joined the US Army National Guard, and then completed his basic Army training during the summer between his junior and senior years of high school. He served in various National Guard units in Nebraska, Texas, and finally Minnesota continuously for the next 24 years, until he retired with an Honorable Discharge from the National Guard in May 2005.
During his 24-year National Guard career he served for several years in an infantry unit, before transferring to an artillery battery. His permanent rank when he left was E-8 Master Sergeant. He was sent with his unit overseas twice: once for a training operation in Norway (< 1 month) and then in 2003 deployed on active duty in the Global War on Terror (GWOT) with his artillery unit as a support force in Italy for 7 months. During his military service he suffered a service-connected injury (noise induced hearing loss and surgery due to exposure during artillery training and operations), but he declined a medical disability after a medical board and remained on duty.
As of today, Walz at age 60 has spent 24 years or 40% of his entire life proudly wearing a uniform in military service for the United States, including a 7-month active duty overseas assignment in 2003 during the GWOT, having voluntarily joined the Army at age 17.
James Donald Bowman (then James David Hamel, now AKA James David Vance [since 2013]) was born in Middletown Ohio on August 2, 1984. After he graduated from high school in June 2003, just after his 19thbirthday he volunteered and joined the US Marines in August 2003. He completed basic training as a Marine and was assigned the MOS of combat correspondent. He served a four-year enlistment from 2003-2007 when he received an honorable discharge and left the Marines with the permanent rank of E-4 Corporal. For 42 months of his military service he was assigned to the Public Affairs unit of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing in Cherry Point North Carolina. For 6 months from September 2005 to February 2006 he served with his unit overseas in Iraq at the Al Asad Airbase, with 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Headquarters Unit.
As of today, Vance at age 40 has spent 4 years or 10% of his entire life proudly wearing a uniform in military service for the United States, including a 6-month active duty tour overseas in an active war zone in a non-combat role during Operation Iraqi Freedom, having voluntarily joined the service at age 19.
Both these men have honorably served our country and proudly worn the nation’s uniform. All Americans owe them a debt of gratitude for their contribution in this regard.
The third male member of this year’s National Election Ticket sadly has a very different story to recount.
Donald John Trump was born in Queens New York on June 14, 1946. Despite his having attended the New York Military Academy for 5 years (and being a member of JROTC while he was a student there) when Trump graduated in 1964 he did not join any military branch of service for his country. He obtained a series of four 1-year 2S student deferments while he attended college; then he was classified as 1A (eligible for the draft) when he graduated in 1968. Three months later, previously having passed his draft registration physical (age 18) with no medical issues, he presented a letter from a Queens podiatrist (who rented his professional office space from Trump’s family real estate company) that he suffered from bilateral heel bone spurs. Without re-examination Trump’s draft status was re-classified to 1Y, and that status was left unchanged after December 1969, when the US held the First Draft Lottery for the Viet Nam War. Trump’s final draft status was changed for the last time in 1972 to 4F, without additional medical examination or documentation.
As of today, Trump at age 78 has spent not one day or 0% of his entire life proudly wearing a uniform in military service for the United States.
Another way to look at the military service question for this year’s candidates is to imagine a parallel timeline of service. Walz volunteered to serve his country a year before he graduated from high school (1981) and completed his military basic training before he started his senior year in high school, while JD Vance was still 30 months away from being an embryo. He served in uniform for the entire time JD Vance was growing up, going to high school, and during his first 20 months after joining the Marines. Vance served his final two years in the Corps, during the last eight months of which Walz had been elected to Congress and begun a 12-year period of public service as a US House Member of both the Armed Services and Veteran’s Affairs Committees.
In light of a recent letter from 50 Republicans, 28 of whom mis-stated their military service status, it would be good to clarify here that while both men gave honorable service to their country, Vance left the service (not retired) after one enlistment tour of 4 years. Walz retired from military service after 4 tours, having served more than 20 years.
Trump’s timeline doesn’t fit here for a comparison, because he has no service at all. He actively avoided the Draft when it was his turn to serve, and his final Selective Service Classification since 1972 is 4F. Something any American can be proud of.
Considering both national positions (President and Vice-President) on each ticket as a vital national security and military service team when combined, the Democratic candidates have 24 years of honorable active service between them while the Republicans have just 4 years in total. The Democrats hold a six-fold advantage in actual years of uniformed service to benefit our country.
In complete fairness to the Republican Team, to make the appropriate relative comparison, we should add Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris’ age to that of Tim Walz for a lifetime comparison of Red Team/Blue Team Military Service. Harris was born in Oakland CA on October 20, 1964, so as of today, she is 59 years old.
The Democrats National Team has a combined 119 years of life experience, and 83 years of adult experience (age 18 and over), which includes 24 years of honorable military service to the United States. The Blue Team then has 20% of their total lives devoted to military experience and service, and 29% of their adult life experience in this cause.
The Republican National Team has a combined 118 years of life experience, and 82 years of adult experience (age 18 and over), which includes 4 years of honorable military service to the United States. The Red Team then has 3.4% of their total lives devoted to military experience and service, and 5% of their adult life experience in this cause.
This relative comparison is pitiful for Trump and Vance. Whether measuring by total years lived, or for adult years only, the Democratic Team has given 6 times more military service to our country than the Republican Team.
So, in absolute or relative terms, this year’s Republican candidates fall far behind their Democratic rivals in honorable military experience and service. And the drag on the Republican ticket’s performance is largely due to Trump’s lack of contribution.
To be thorough with respect to military service, three of the four 2024 nominees have a potential legislative experience record to consider as well. Only Trump rates Complete Goose Eggs as a legislator. Vance has served in the Senate for 20 months and Harris served in the Senate for 48 months, but neither was a member of either the Senate Armed Services Committee or the Senate Committee on Veteran’s Affairs. Tim Walz served on both the US House Armed Services Committee and the US House Veteran’s Affairs Committees for 12 years from 2007-2018.
A full comparison of actual and legislative related military and veteran’s affairs service would then add 12 more years to the Democrat’s team resume and nothing (0) years to that of the Republican nominees. This would increase the absolute numbers of military service years totals to 36 versus 4. The Democratic nominees would then demonstrate a 9 to 1 advantage of enlisted uniformed duty and legislative participation to advance our Armed Services and Veterans compared to the 2024 Republican ticket.
Since the US Military Draft was discontinued during the 1970’s as the Viet-Nam War drew to a close, and we switched to an All-Volunteer Military Force to defend our country, the overall percentage of our population who have served has declined. Today, most of us depend on the smaller number of patriots who defend us in the military here and abroad. We can honor and be grateful to those who serve to keep America safe.
What is dishonorable and despicable is for someone who has actively avoided, evaded, skipped out on, and gamed the system to try and cloak himself in our flag and work to appropriate the honor, bravery, and claim of patriots, past and present. A duplicitous disguise for deception.
We don’t need a replay of the 2004 Swift Boat invented phony scandal controversy ginned up by the same guy (Chris LaCivita) who is now Trump’s Campaign Senior Advisor. By the way, have you noticed that the recent welling up of half-truths, misleading speculations, and conspiracy theories about Walz have been spread and amplified by Trump campaign surrogates, never by Trump himself? Hiding behind the scenes, he is still coward enough not to want to risk “Say It To My Face” with respect to honorable military service for our country direct to Tim Walz.
Trump doesn’t live in a Glass House; he shelters under a Tissue Paper Construction with respect to patriotic service in uniform. Talk about Issue Shrinkage. The Direct Score is 24 to Zip; and Trump is the Permanent Loser.
As for JD Vance, as a former Marine, he should know better. Especially given the sorry excuse of a military service record his running mate has made for himself his whole adult life. Semper Fi does not mean faithfulness to individual politicians, especially 4F Draft Dodgers.
References
The two favors that may have helped Trump avoid fighting in the Vietnam War (Washington Post, December 26, 2018):
Questions linger about Trump’s draft deferments during Vietnam War (Washington Post, July 21, 2015):
Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam? (New York Times, December 26, 2018)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/us/politics/trump-vietnam-draft-exemption.html
Donald Trump’s Draft Deferments: Four for College, One for Bad Feet (New York Times, August 1, 216):
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/us/politics/donald-trump-draft-record.html
Donald Trump’s Selective Service Records (New York Times, August 1, 2016):
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/01/us/politics/trump-record.html
Walz attacked by Trump but military record shows honorable service (The Guardian, August 16, 2024)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/16/walz-military-record-service
PBS: Fact-checking attacks on Walz’s military record by Vance and other Republicans (August 11, 2024):
Trump, allies hit Harris and Walz with barrage of personal attacks (Axios, August 8, 2024):
https://www.axios.com/2024/08/08/trump-walz-stolen-valor-attacks-harris-2024
Trump-led attack on Walz’s military record includes vets with their own false claims (Washington Post August 21, 2024):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/21/trump-walz-military/
https://www.defense.gov/Resources/Insignia/#:~:text=E%2D7,Gunnery%20Sergeant%20(GySgt)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Walz
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD_Vance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris
https://www.senate.gov/general/committee_assignments/assignments.htm