Walz draws scrutiny for implying Afghanistan trip as congressman was military deployment

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is drawing fresh scrutiny for implying in recently unearthed remarks that a brief congressional trip to Afghanistan was a military deployment as part of his National Guard service — after his Republican counterpart, JD Vance, accused him of “stolen valor” for exaggerating his service record. Walz, Minnesota’s governor since 2019, spoke about his “guilt” that he “came home” when others did not during a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorists attacks — moments before mentioning his time at Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base, without clarifying he was there as a civilian. “I had the privilege of serving in this state’s National Guard. And when I left, I had a 2-year-old, and when I came home, I had a 3-year-old. But as I listened to [Gold Star families speak] — the guilt. I came home and my daughter went on, and when you’re 2 and 3, she knew no difference,” said Walz, who deployed to Italy in a support role in 2003 during the war on te