The Harris campaign retracts Walz bio amid 'stolen valor' controversy as doubts arise.

The Harris campaign has updated its biography of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on its website, modifying a statement about his military service in the face of ongoing scrutiny of his 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee's military credentials.

Initially, Walz's biography stated that he was a "retired Command Sergeant Major."

He served as a command sergeant major.

On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris announced Walz as her running mate, sparking criticism about Walz's background as Minnesota governor, a legislator, and a National Guard member for nearly 25 years.

Walz retired from the National Guard as a master sergeant, despite having achieved the rank of command sergeant major. National Guard officials have stated that he left before completing the necessary coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, resulting in a lower rank due to benefit requirements and a technicality.

Walz has been accused by Republicans of using "stolen valor garbage."

"Sen. JD Vance, Trump's running mate, advised against pretending to be someone else," as he is a Marine Corps veteran.

He said, "I'd be ashamed if I were lying about my military service like you did."

Walz was accused by Vance of leaving the National Guard to avoid serving in the Iraq War.

"When the United States Marine Corps asked me to serve my country in Iraq, I did it without hesitation. I followed their orders and did it with honor," he stated. "When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, he chose to abandon his unit and leave them behind. This decision has been heavily criticized by many of his fellow soldiers."

In May 2005, Walz had submitted retirement papers five to seven months before his unit was deployed to Iraq in July.

In a statement to Planet Chronicle, Army Lt. Col. Ryan Rossman, the Minnesota National Guard's director of operations, clarified Walz's rank at the time of his retirement.

"Although he was technically a command sergeant major when he deployed to Europe with his battalion, he was retired as a master sergeant (lower enlisted rank) because he had not completed the final course required for retirement as a CSM. However, according to National Guard records, he was a command sergeant major technically when deployed. The lower rank was due to benefit requirements and a technicality."

Walz's military history was used by him to advocate for gun restrictions, as Vance observed.

Vance questioned, "Tim Walz, have you ever been in war? When was this? What was the weapon you carried into war, given that you left your unit before they went to Iraq? You haven't spent a day in a combat zone. What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage."

The Harris campaign has defended Walz’s record.

In 2005, Governor Walz retired from the military after 24 years of service and ran for Congress, where he chaired Veterans Affairs and advocated tirelessly for our men and women in uniform. As vice president of the United States, he will continue to be a relentless champion for our veterans and military families.

This report was contributed to by Jennifer Griffin of Planet Chronicle, Jeffrey Clark, Anders Hagstrom, and The Associated Press.