It’s unlikey that Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee to the vice presidency, knew that his unit would receive mobilization orders not long after he retired in 2005, sources with the Minnesota National Guard told the Herald.

Since the announcement he would join Vice President Kamala Harris atop the party ticket, Walz has come under sustained fire over his decision to retire following 24 years of service in various Guard units while his battalion was allegedly under orders to deploy or set to soon receive orders, and over his use of the Command Sergeant Major rank in campaign messaging.

However, according to information shared by multiple official sources within the MNG, Walz earned that rank and would need either the gift of prophecy or a time machine to use the deployment as an excuse to leave the service, as his May 2005 retirement date came months before the 1-125th Battalion of the 1st Brigade Combat Team learned they would mobilize and most of a year before the unit was actually deployed to Iraq for what would become a historically long, 22-month tour.

According to Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, the MNG’s State Public Affairs Officer, Walz “served from April 8, 1981, to May 16, 2005″ during which time he “held multiple positions within field artillery such as firing battery chief, operations sergeant, first sergeant, and culminated his career serving as the command sergeant major for the battalion.”

“Governor Walz served in the Minnesota National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery after transferring from the Nebraska National Guard in 1996. While serving in Minnesota, his military occupational specialties were 13B – a cannon crewmember who operates and maintains cannons and 13Z – field artillery senior sergeant. In Nebraska, he served as a 11Z – infantry senior sergeant, and a 71L – administrative specialist,” Augé said.

Walz’s official May retirement date came almost two full months before the 1-125 Field Artillery found out they would likely mobilize. An official order was not issued until a month after that, about 90 days after Walz left the service, according to information provided by Lt. Col. Ryan Rossman, the MNG’s Director of Operations.

“Minnesota National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery received an alert order for mobilization to Iraq on July 14, 2005. The official Department of the Army mobilization order was received on August 14, 2005,” Rossman said.

The unit mobilized on October 12 — nearly five months after Walz left the service — and deployed in late March of the 2006 after training in Camp Shelby, Mississippi, according to Rossman. That’s a full 10 months after Walz reentered civilian life.

Any assertions that Walz’s unit was warned of a possible deployment ahead of the July 14 mobilization order is questionable, according to DoD officials, as they amount to little more than repeated and misplaced barracks rumors.

First of all, almost every unit and member of the U.S. Military is subject to potential deployment at some point in the future and trains constantly toward that inevitability. Second, the U.S. Army’s current practice of officially notifying a unit ahead of an upcoming deployment via a “Notification of Sourcing” wasn’t implemented until 2009. Back in 2005, any hint a unit might mobilize that made its way out of the Department of the Army Headquarters would be considered unofficial and subject to change pending actual mobilization orders.

Additionally, according to MNG Joint Chief of Staff Col. Scott Rohweder, in order for Walz to retire, he would have had to clear his plans through his unit commander. There is no indication Walz’s commanding officer acted to prevent or stall his request to retire.

“We value all citizens who serve in our Armed Forces. Each service member’s service journey is unique, and when they decide to leave military service, it is a personal decision. Less than 1 percent of Americans serve in our nation’s military, and an even smaller percent reach retirement eligibility. We are grateful for citizens who commit to serving, whether on their initial contract or for 20 years. When a service member reaches 20 years of service, they can submit a request to retire even if there is time remaining on their enlisted contractual agreement. Their request is reviewed and must be approved by leadership,” Rohweder told the Herald.

On top of this, Walz had apparently returned home from a mobilization and deployment — the full length of which occurred while he was entirely eligible to drop his retirement paperwork — that ended just over a year before he began the process of leaving the military.

“Governor Tim Walz mobilized with the Minnesota National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery on Aug. 3, 2003, to support Operation Enduring Freedom. The battalion supported security missions at various locations in Europe and Turkey. Governor Walz was stationed at Vicenza, Italy, during his deployment. He returned to Minnesota in April, 2004,” Augé said.

His retirement announcement also came after his years working with artillery had led to “bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus,” according to a medical retention board Walz was forced to stand before in 2002 over his injuries. Walz required ear surgery in 2005 for installation of prosthetic bones.

Further allegations Walz is misrepresenting his rank are also unfounded, according to the MNG. Walz was indeed wearing a Command Sgt. Major’s stripes on the day he officially took off his uniform for the last time, but since he was unable to complete the 750 hours of coursework required to meet the conditions of Army Regulation 600-8-19 before he retired, he can’t be paid that rank’s retirement rate.

“He retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy,” Augé said.

All of this is at odds with assertions to the contrary, like those made by Republican Vice Presidential candidate U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, who served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps and claims that Walz is misrepresenting his military service.

“Do not pretend to be something that you’re not,” Vance said last Wednesday. “I’d be ashamed if I was saying that I lied about my military service like you did.”