Vice President Kamala Harris was recently hit with a major fact check by active military service members who called out false claims made by Harris during the presidential debate last week. Speaking about the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which cost the lives of 13 U.S. service members, Harris claimed that the Biden administration had removed all military personnel from combat zones.
“Well, I’ll tell you, I agreed with President Biden’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan. Four presidents said they would, and Joe Biden did. And as a result, America’s taxpayers are not paying the three hundred million dollars a day we were paying for that endless war. And as of today, there is not one member of the United States military, who is an active duty in a combat zone in any war zone around the world the first time in a century,” Harris said during the debate.
However, in what has been described as the “biggest fact check in human history,” active military members who were watching the debate recorded themselves watching Harris’ comments. In the video, which had the caption “full of lies,” one of the service members turned the camera around, showing themselves in uniform and stating, “So where the f*** are we right now?”
Further debunking Harris’ claim, it is reported that tens of thousands of U.S. Military members are still serving in regions designated as hostile combat zones. This includes roughly 2,500 military personnel stationed in Iraq and approximately 900 members in Syria. Furthermore, a Reuters report from earlier this year indicated that about 30,000 troops remain in the Middle East.
In other reports surrounding dubious claims about the military from the Harris-Walz campaign, The American Tribune has extensively reported on speculation surrounding Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s claims about his past service in the National Guard, where he faces allegations of blatantly lying about his record.
For example, Walz previously claimed that he had forgone retirement and re-enlisted following 9/11 out of patriotic service for the nation. However, reports indicate that Walz was not eligible for retirement until the following year, suggesting that his claims that he had given up a retirement opportunity are disingenuous. Walz has also been criticized for leaving the National Guard to run for Congress after it was signaled that his unit might deploy to Iraq.
Minnesota National Guard’s Director of Manpower and Personnel, Col. Ryan Cochran, said, “Governor Tim Walz received his notification of eligibility for retirement on August 3, 2002. He was promoted to sergeant major (E-9) on September 17, 2004, and immediately began serving as the command sergeant major for the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery while his packet was submitted to the National Guard Bureau to appoint him to command sergeant major (E-9). Once approved by NGB, he was laterally appointed to command sergeant major (E-9) on April 1, 2005. He retired from the Minnesota National Guard on May 16, 2005. Our records do not indicate when he made his request to retire. Leadership reviews and approves all requests to retire. He was administratively reduced to master sergeant (E-8) on May 15, 2005, because he did not complete all required U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy coursework.”
Watch the “fact check” from the service members below:
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