Over the last couple of days, there has been a political firestorm over Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s military record. Accusations of “stolen valor,” abandoning his unit and lying about his rank have been spread online and on television. Some of those accusations came from his vice presidential opponent, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), who himself found his military service being examined and derided.
This political mudslinging is not new, and unfortunately, even your military service is subject to ridicule nowadays. Former Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and others have had to deal with this. But this current wave of attacks exposes the disconnect between veterans and the rest of America, and how political parties, pundits, trolls and candidates prey off of it.
I am a veteran who served during that time in the Marines, from 2004 to 2008. I was in the 1st Marine Division and deployed to Iraq. But my first three years, I worked in Operations and Manpower. Marines will call someone like me a POG (person other than grunt). In other words, I didn’t have a combat arms military occupational specialty, like an infantry Marine. JD Vance was a POG like me. So was Tim Walz. In fact, that vast majority of people who serve in the military are — nearly 85 percent.
Hollywood would tell you that everyone in the military is holding a gun, going outside the wire, getting into firefights and in constant danger. This simply isn’t true. Most military members are sitting behind a desk, stacking boxes, loading planes, fixing vehicles or running around the country trying to recruit teenagers to do those jobs.
Unfortunately thanks to Hollywood stereotypes, political attacks, the toxic vet-bro culture of attacking our own and general civilian ignorance, many veterans feel as if they must embellish or even lie about their experience. I can’t tell you how many times I met a vet who talked like he was a Navy SEAL only to find out he worked in a motor pool for four years. There is an insecurity where we feel the need to live up to the heroic images that civilians have of the military.
Which brings us to the current vice presidential battle. First, let’s talk about Walz. People serve any length of time. Different people have different retirement packages. You don’t wake up one day and say, “I quit.” You don’t even give a two-week notice. Like anything with the military, there is a lot of paperwork and signatures that need to be done. You may hold a job of a higher rank because of manpower issues. You might put in your retirement only to find out your unit is being deployed. You may even go your entire 24-year career and never see a combat zone. And that is OK.
As far as Vance, it is OK that he worked in public affairs and wasn’t a John Wayne type. It is all right he didn’t go outside the wire or get shot at. It is fine that he didn’t get a Combat Action Ribbon. And it is OK that he only served four years.
I am saying this as a Marine who extended his contract in order to deploy; as a POG Marine, who was assigned an ad-hoc combat unit led by grunts because of manpower shortages; as a Marine who went outside the wire and had plenty of stressful situations but never had to shoot anyone. For a long time, even I was meant to feel bad about my service, mostly from fellow veterans because of how the Marine Corps defines combat.
But time gives you clarity, and meeting people all over the country makes you realize that not many people have done what veterans have done. Less than 6 percent of Americans served in the military. And even less than that saw actual combat. This is a good thing, but politics has made us feel that we need to say it is not.
People ripping Vance for not getting shot at do not have a proper grip on reality. The same can be said for those attacking Walz for serving 24 years in the Guard. Both men took time out of their lives to serve. Both men sacrificed time away from their families and dealt with extraordinary stress. Both men are very much like the 6 percent of the American population that both thrives and sometimes, struggles.
Look, if someone has a bad conduct discharge or committed a crime in the military, then by all means, let’s make sure they are held accountable. But to attack veterans who served with honor, whether it be Walz or Vance, is the worst message to send to the veteran community.
Jos Joseph is a master’s candidate at the Harvard Extension School at Harvard University. He is a Marine veteran who served in Iraq and lives in Anaheim, Calif.