NEW: In 2021 9/11 Speech, Tim Walz References 'Being on the Tarmac at Bagram' During a Ramp Ceremony
Jennifer Van Laar
Speaking to a crowd of veterans on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz talked about his time in the National Guard and missing a year of his daughter's life, then immediately followed that reference with a story about standing on the tarmac at Bagram Air Base and watching a ramp ceremony, and the emotional effect that had on him.
If listeners knew nothing else about Walz, they'd believe that he missed a year of his daughter's life because he deployed for combat and saw some hard things. But, as we all know now, that's not the case. He deployed to Italy in a support capacity and shamefully retired early, before his contract was up, when he knew that his unit was going to be sent to Iraq.
Here's a clip of Walz's 2021 speech with the relevant portion (full video at the bottom of the post):
He said:
In the years after that classroom, I had the privilege of serving in this state's [N[ational [G]uard. And when I left I had a two-year-old; when I left I had a three-year-old. But as I listened to Jill and I listed to Mariah, the guilt -- I came home, and my daughter went on. And when you're two and three, she knew no difference. That's not true for some. They can't do that. And over the preceding years of watching us, and as our nation changed and our political systems became more -- more difficult for all of us to understand --
I stood one night in the dark of night on the tarmac at Bagram and watched a military ramp ceremony. And if you've seen it, which these folks, many have, unfortunately, you don't leave the same. And it makes you wonder, what are we doing? What are we trying to get to?
In the spoken remarks, Walz doesn't say "In Iraq" which is fortunate since we all know that Bagram Air Base is in Afghanistan (and was abandoned by Joe Biden during his failed withdrawal from Afghanistan). But in the transcript, published in the book "Minnesota in the Global War on Terrorism: Post-9/11 Profiles," it's clear where he went off-script and at least corrected that portion. From that book:
more
https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2024/08/11/new-in-2021-911-speech-tim-walz-references-being-on-the-tarmac-at-bagram-n2178004
