Walz, Minnesota National Guard leaders visit soldiers in Kuwait

Gov. Tim Walz made a secret trip to Kuwait to visit with about 100 members of the Minnesota National Guard who will spend the holidays away from their families.

“During the holiday season we should pause just a little bit,” Walz said at a State Capitol news conference where he discussed the trip. “Our goal was to be there to say thanks to these folks.”

Walz traveled with several Minnesota National Guard leaders to visit the 347th Regional Support Group working on logistics and the 147th Personnel Human Resources Company in Kuwait. For about 70% of those soldiers on this deployment, it’s their first mission overseas.

“These are your neighbors,” Walz said. “They’ve got spouses back home. They have children and family they’re away from over the holidays.”

The adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard, Major General Shawn Manke, gives a lot of credit to the families back home and their employers who allow them to be away from their jobs.

“In this time as a service member when they are deployed over the holidays, it’s often a difficult time for not only themselves but also their family members,” Manke said. “I would also just like to thank all the family members and the employers of these great soldiers that are over there for their support.”

While they were in Kuwait late last week, the U.S. House voted to end a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the military. Manke says more than 95% of the Minnesota Guard members were vaccinated by the June 30 deadline to avoid being forced out of the service. For now, the policy remains in place until the Senate acts and the Department of Defense responds.

“Right now, we’re working through the process on the existing policy that’s in place and I think right now it’s kind of on hold,” he said.

Nationally, about 8,000 active-duty military service members have been discharged for not following the vaccine mandate.