Fifty Republican members of Congress, including Pennsylvania’s Scott Perry (R-10) and Guy Reschenthaler (R-14), signed onto a letter to Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, criticizing the Minnesota governor for his representation of his military service record.

All 50 members are military veterans and is in response to a letter from 18 Democratic military veteran members of Congress defending Walz from attacks on his record.

Walz, who served 24 years in the Army National Guard, has come under fire after being named Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate over several apparent inconsistencies concerning his time in the military.

The Harris campaign early on referred to Walz as a “retired Command Sergeant Major,” a rank he did achieve but was moved down to master sergeant before retiring in 2005. The campaign later updated his online biography.

The governor spoke out over the attacks during a speech last week to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union.

“These guys are even attacking me for my record of service. And I just want to say, I’m proud to have served my country and I always will be. With my dad’s encouragement — a guy who served in the Army during the Korean War — I signed by for the Army National Guard two days after my 17th birthday,” Walz said.

“Then in 2005, I felt the call of duty again, this time of being a service to my country in the halls of Congress. My students inspired me to run for that office,” he added.

The letter follows:

To Governor Tim Walz:

The Office of the Vice President is a position that requires the trust of the American people and a solemn commitment to duty on behalf of the United States of America. As veterans who have served our nation, we feel compelled to address your egregious misrepresentations and urge you to come clean to the American people.

You have stated that you are “damn proud” of your service, and like any American veteran, you should be. But there is no honor in lying about the nature of your service. Repeatedly claiming to be a “Retired Command Sergeant Major” when you did not complete the requirements was not honorable. Nor was it honorable to claim to carry weapons “in war” when you had not served in war, and abandoning the men and women under your leadership just as they were getting ready to deploy was certainly not honorable either.

To be blunt, when you falsely claim military service that did not happen and abandon your post, you diminish the real sacrifices made by veterans who did serve in combat. Military service is not merely a job or a uniform. Those who serve in the Armed Forces endure rigorous training, face perilous situations, and make sacrifices that most civilians can’t comprehend. The honor of wearing the uniform is earned through dedication, bravery, and an unwavering sense of duty. You have displayed none of these characteristics as you have lied your way through a political career launched on the foundation of a title you did not earn and combat deployments you did not take part in.

In short, our grave concern stems from the fact that the office of the Vice President is one heartbeat away from becoming the Commander-In-Chief. You’ve already demonstrated your unwillingness to lead in time of war and a lack of honor through your blatant misrepresentations exploiting and co-opting the experiences of America’s combat veterans for personal gain.

As a result, America’s veterans and servicemembers are rightfully concerned about what would happen to them should you ascend to the Presidency. When America asked you to lead your troops into War, you turned your back on your troops. You have violated the trust of our brothers and sisters in arms. Their blood, sweat, and sacrifice are the only reason our nation is able to exist. Until you admit you lied to them, there is no way you can be trusted to serve as Vice President.

Sincerely,

• Brian Mast, Chair of Veterans and Military Families for Trump; U.S. Representative (FL-21); U.S. Army
• Joni Ernst, U.S. Senator (IA); Army National Guard
• Roger Marshall, U.S. Senator (KS); U.S. Army Reserve
• Rick Scott, U.S. Senator (FL); U.S. Navy
• Roger Wicker, U.S. Senator (MS); U.S. Air Force Reserve
• Brian Babin, U.S. Representative (TX-36); U.S. Air Force
• Don Bacon, U.S. Representative (NE-02); U.S. Air Force
• Jim Baird, U.S. Representative (IN-04); U.S. Army
• Jim Banks, U.S. Representative (IN-03); U.S. Navy Reserve
• Jack Bergman, U.S. Representative (MI-01); U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
• Mike Bost, U.S. Representative (IL-12); U.S. Marine Corps
• Mike Carey, U.S. Representative (OH-15); U.S. Army Reserve
• Eli Crane, U.S. Representative (AZ-02); U.S. Navy
• Warren Davidson, U.S. Representative (OH-08); U.S. Army
• Neal Dunn, U.S. Representative (FL-02); U.S. Army
• Jake Ellzey, U.S. Representative (TX-06); U.S. Navy
• Pat Fallon, U.S. Representative (TX-04); U.S. Air Force
• Scott Fitzgerald, U.S. Representative (WI-05); U.S. Army Reserve
• Scott Franklin, U.S. Representative (FL-18); U.S. Navy
• Tony Gonzales, U.S. Representative (TX-23), U.S. Navy
• Mark Green, U.S. Representative (TN-07); U.S. Army
• Brett Guthrie, U.S. Representative (KY-02); U.S. Army
• Clay Higgins, U.S. Representative (LA-03); Army National Guard
• Wesley Hunt, U.S. Representative (TX-38); U.S. Army
• Darrell Issa, U.S. Representative (CA-48); U.S. Army
• Ronny Jackson, U.S. Representative (TX-13); U.S. Navy
• Jen Kiggans, U.S. Representative (VA-02); U.S. Navy
• Nick LaLota, U.S. Representative (NY-01); U.S. Navy
• Greg Lopez, U.S. Representative (CO-04); U.S. Air Force
• Barry Loudermilk, U.S. Representative (GA-11); U.S. Air Force
• Anna Paulina Luna, U.S. Representative (FL-13); U.S. Air Force
• Rich McCormick, U.S. Representative (GA-06); U.S. Navy
• Max Miller, U.S. Representative (OH-07); U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
• Mariannette Miller-Meeks, U.S. Representative (IA-01); U.S. Army
• Cory Mills, U.S. Representative (FL-07); U.S. Army
• Barry Moore, U.S. Representative (AL-02); Army National Guard
• Troy Nehls, U.S. Representative (TX-22); U.S. Army Reserve
• Zach Nunn, U.S. Representative (IA-03); U.S. Air Force Reserve
• Scott Perry, U.S. Representative (PA-10); Army National Guard
• August Pfluger, U.S. Representative (TX-11); U.S. Air Force
• Guy Reschenthaler, U.S. Representative (PA-14); U.S. Navy
• Hal Rogers, U.S. Representative (KY-05); Army National Guard
• Keith Self, U.S. Representative (TX-03); U.S. Army
• Gregory Steube, U.S. Representative (FL-17); U.S. Army
• William Timmons, U.S. Representative (SC-04); Air National Guard
• Derrick Van Orden, U.S. Representative (WI-03); U.S. Navy
• Michael Waltz, U.S. Representative (FL-06); Army National Guard
• Brandon Williams, U.S. Representative (NY-22); U.S. Navy
• Joe Wilson, U.S. Representative (SC-02); Army National Guard
• Ryan Zinke, U.S. Representative (MT-01); U.S. Navy