9mo ago

Harris picks Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate

www.cnn.com

Harris picks Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate | CNN Politics

217 comments

Uh oh Donny! He's a veteran, too! You wouldn't shit on a veteran, right?
- You mean again, right?
  
  Oh of course! My bad
- I'm curious what voters will think of the two VP candidates military service.
  JD Vance was in the Marine Corps as an corporal for 4 years and served in Iraq, but he served as a combat correspondent, a military journalist, not in a combat capacity.
  Walz was in the Army National Guard as an enlisted soldier for 24 years. AFAIK he was never in combat, but his specialty (heavy artillery) was definitely a combat-oriented one. He also achieved the rank of Command Sergeant Major, which is a very high rank for an enlisted soldier.
  IMO, being in the Marine Corps sounds more impressive than being in the National Guard. But, 4 years as a combat correspondent sounds a lot less impressive than 24 years, starting out in artillery and moving up to a Command Sergeant Major role.
  
  Vance was not an officer. I don't mean that disparagingly, he just wasn't. He served a 4 year enlistment.
  If you're comparing their careers, a sergeant major is a titan compared to a corporal. One of them was primarily concerned with taking pictures and not getting shot. The other made a career studying the art of leadership. It's literally not even a contest.
  
  Oops, I thought Vance was an officer, not an enlisted member. Thanks for the correction.
  As for Walz, I don't know how quickly he advanced through the ranks, but IMO a Command Sergeant Major is one of the most impressive titles. It's a leadership rank but done the hard way. If you enter the military as an officer, you immediately outrank 80% of the military. A Command Sergeant Major has to practice the difficult art of leading people who technically outrank them.
  
  Yeah. And quite often they're the ones responsible for standing up to the officers to protect the privates. I've had bad ones but a good sergeant major can make a huge difference in a unit.
  
  protect the privates
  I'm all about someone who can protect the privates.
- You can ask John Kerry about that

217 comments