Fellow solider defends Walz’s military service

(NewsNation) — A fellow soldier is defending Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz from accusations of “abandoning” his fellow soldiers before their deployment to Iraq, a charge leveled by JD Vance, Walz's competitor for the vice presidency.

Retired Sgt. Major Joseph Eustice said Walz “fulfilled his duty. He was a great soldier. When he chose to leave, he had every right to leave.”

Eustice spoke to NewsNation about the timing of Walz’s retirement in 2005 after serving in the Guard for 24 years. Walz left a few months before the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion was sent to Iraq.

“As far as I know, he did not know,” Eustice said of whether Walz knew about the upcoming deployment. “At that time, there were all kinds of rumors about us deploying. In May, when he decided to retire … we had no ‘Notice of Deployment.’ That didn’t come until July,” he added.

Eustice said Walz told him before he left that he “was going to become a congressman,” and had spoken about the possibility for months before making his decision.