Walz — Comer Opens Congressional Investigation of Walz trips to China

Zoo_View said:
I realize “active” is different from “reserve” (although I can’t define the difference) and both are different from the National Guard (and, I can’t define that difference).

Just what is a “Command Sergeant Major?” Does a “Command Sergeant Major” in the National Guard matter at all?
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Well first off, your question probably exceeds what I knew or understood even when I was in the Army. Command Sergeant Majors are less common than Sergeant Majors. But both of them are E-9, the highest enlisted rank. Typically, I think of CSM as being the top enlisted man at a division or post level. These are guys with a lot of time in the military, don't take any gruff from anyone, and have the complete and utter confidence of the general they serve with, not under, but with, to deal with enlisted issues. A Sergeant Major, without the Command part, is usually, IIRC, either the senior enlsited person at below the division level or the senior enlisted person with a fairly large techincal team. Again, the administrative verses technical distinction.

But regardless, a Command Sergeant Major, is typically a much rarer rank, from a much larger pool (enlisted) than is the rank of general from the pool of officers. CSM's I typically think of as one per division or one per post. Very experienced, very competent, and very respected. That Walz retired as a CSM is very, very impressive. In my opinion more impressive than retiring as a general.

ETA: The 1st Sergeant (E-8) of the unit I was in had a BA and MA in counseliing/psychology, multiple tours in Vietnam, and a lot of decorations but thought he had no shot at becoming a CSM (E-9). As such, he was trying to become a Warrant Officer in the personnel area.
 
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It's a narrow scope, but facebook looks like teachers and more moderate folks seem really, REALLY excited about a teacher/coach on the ticket.

There's an energy for a ticket I haven't seen since 2008. Yeah the hard core western NC conservative teachers and stuff are still just quiet and will likely go with Trump because of (religion? hell I dont get it)...but the amount of people where I grew up that are commenting positively about this is stunning
 
The issue with Harris was always going to be if/how she related to people in middle America. If you could create someone in a lab who provides strength to Harris’s weaknesses, it wouldn’t have been a better creation than Walz.
 
“… Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard in Nebraska in 1981 and retired honorably in 2005 as the top enlisted soldier for 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery Regiment, in the Minnesota National Guard, according to a copy of his records provided by the Minnesota Guard. He reached the rank of command sergeant major and served in that role, but he officially retired as a master sergeant for benefits purposes because he didn't finish a required training course, according to the records and a statement from the Minnesota Guard.

His Guard career included responding to natural disasters in the United States, as well as a deployment to Italy to support U.S. operations in Afghanistan, according to a 2018 article by Minnesota Public Radio. Walz earned several awards, including the Army Commendation Medal and two Army Achievement Medals, according to his military records. Working a civilian job as a high school teacher and football coach, the Nebraska native was also named that state's Citizen Soldier of the Year in 1989, according to official biographies.

During the 2022 Minnesota governor's race, Walz' opponent accused him of leaving the Guard when he did in order to avoid a deployment to Iraq, though Walz maintained he retired in order to focus on running for Congress, according to the Star Tribune newspaper.

Far-right commentators and media resurfaced those allegations and knocked him for never serving in combat -- something he has never claimed to do -- in contrast with Vance's deployment to Iraq as a combat correspondent. …”

Tim Walz, Who Spent Decades as an Enlisted Soldier, Brings Years of Work on Vets Issues to Dem Ticket | Military.com

www.military.com www.military.com
 
Republicans should tread carefully if they’re going to play the “he never deployed to the Middle East” game.

First, the large majority of Republican leadership never served at all. Second, the Reserves & Guard are a different beast when it comes to deployments that isn’t the same as active duty. Third, Walz never ran on being a Special Ops/Rambo wannabe.
 
superrific said:
JD Vance was a freaking combat correspondent. He was Joker in Full Metal Jacket, and now he's accusing Walz of stolen valor? Once again, all the GOP has are lies. Lies. Lies.
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The thought that GOP would dare to bring up military service is hilarious. Go for it…make our day!
 
superrific said:
JD Vance was a freaking combat correspondent. He was Joker in Full Metal Jacket, and now he's accusing Walz of stolen valor? Once again, all the GOP has are lies. Lies. Lies.
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Heck, who even cares about Vance. If the top of the ticket, Private Bone Spurs, wants to make "dodging military deployment" the central theme of their campaign, bring it.
 
Zoo_View said:
I realize “active” is different from “reserve” (although I can’t define the difference) and both are different from the National Guard (and, I can’t define that difference).

Just what is a “Command Sergeant Major?” Does a “Command Sergeant Major” in the National Guard matter at all?
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Active is someone who wears the uniform as their full-time job. They are in a duty status 24/7, but when not deployed typically work 40-ish hour weeks training for the next deployment. Members of most of the units you’ve heard of are active (82nd Airborne, 101st Airborne, most infantry divisions, etc.).

Reserves are “weekend warriors” who serve (typically) one weekend per month, two weeks per year. Most have other full-time jobs to support themselves and the reserves are essentially a side-hustle. They are entirely under federal control and can only be mobilized by POTUS or his/her designee in support of federal missions. Reserves typically augment active duty with additional logistics capabilities.

National Guard are similar to reserves, except they belong to both a state and the federal government. The governor of the state they serve is their commander in chief unless they are mobilized for a federal mission. NG is typically who responds to natural disasters, civil unrest, etc. NG are more likely than reserves to be in a direct combat role such as infantry, artillery, or armor (tanks).

A command sergeant major is an E-9, which is the highest enlisted rank in the Army. A CSM is the senior enlisted Soldier within a unit, working in tandem with an officer in command of either a Battalion, Brigade, or Division. The CSM is in charge of all enlisted issues for the command they serve and the CSM reports directly to the commander. It is extremely rare for a Soldier to make CSM. While even a Lieutenant technically outranks a CSM, if a Lieutenant and a CSM disagree the commander will side with the CSM every day of the week and twice on Sundays. The CSM is essentially the commander’s right hand and his/her eyes and ears within the unit.
 
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