Fellow Guard Members Confirm Walz Ditched After Knowing of Deployment

A former military colleague reveals that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz knew about his unit's likely deployment to Iraq before retiring in 2005, challenging claims that he was unaware of the impending mission.

A former military colleague of Democrat vice-presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has confirmed that Walz was aware of his unit's potential deployment to Iraq before he retired in 2005, contradicting some claims that he was unaware of the impending mission.

Allan Bonnifield, who supports Walz, told reporters that Walz’s decision to retire was difficult because he knew his unit was likely to deploy. According to a 2018 interview with MPR News, Bonnifield, who met Walz in 1999, recalled that Walz grappled with whether to pursue a congressional run or remain in the National Guard, knowing deployment to Iraq was imminent.

“He weighed that decision to run for Congress very, very heavily,” Bonnifield said. “He loved the military, the Guard, and the soldiers he worked with, and making that decision was tough for him, especially knowing we were going on another deployment to Iraq. He didn’t take that decision lightly at all.”

In a recent interview, Bonnifield dismissed accusations that Walz retired to avoid deployment as “bullshit,” but acknowledged that Walz knew the deployment was likely, even though no official orders had been issued at the time.

The Washington Post reported that Bonnifield recalled a private conversation where Walz confided his struggle to decide whether to leave the unit as it prepared for war to run for Congress. “He was trying to decide where he could do better for soldiers, for veterans, for the country,” Bonnifield said. “He weighed that for a long time.”

Walz’s supporters argue that his retirement in May 2005 was unrelated to the deployment, as his unit received an alert order in July and official orders in August 2005. However, it is common for military leaders to be aware of potential deployments well in advance through “warning orders.” Joel Berry, a Marine veteran and managing editor of the Babylon Bee, highlighted this, stating that Walz likely knew about the deployment long before official orders were issued.

The Minnesota National Guard confirmed that unofficial alerts and notices are typical, though they could not specify when Walz’s unit might have received such an alert. Walz himself acknowledged the likelihood of deployment by March 2005, stating in a press release that he had a “responsibility” to prepare his battalion for Iraq and to serve if called upon.