reported speech commands and requests

Reported Speech Exercise: Requests And Commands

Reported speech exercises | reporting requests and commands, transform these requests and commands into reported speech (start the sentence as suggested.), related materials.

Reported Speech: Important Grammar Rules and Examples

Reported speech is a very common aspect of the English language. You use it nearly every day, both in conversations and in writing. This reference covers key sections about reported speech, including what it is, examples, rules, and verb tense changes. You’ll also learn about modal verbs, changes in time and place, and different reporting verbs.

Reported Speech

What Is Reported Speech?

Reported speech is simply when you tell somebody what someone else said. You can do this in your writing, or in speech. Reported speech is very different from  direct speech , which is when you show what somebody said  in the exact way that they said it . In reported speech though, you do not need to quote somebody directly.

Instead, you use a reporting verb, such as ‘say’ or ‘ask’. These reporting verbs are used to report the speech to someone else. There are many different reporting verbs that can be used.

In short, reported speech is the linguistic technique that you use to tell somebody what someone else’s  direct speech  was. In reported speech though, you may need to make certain changes to the grammar to make the sentence make sense. Some examples below highlight what needs to be changed.

Reported Speech Examples

When using reported speech, you are usually talking about the past. The verbs, therefore, usually have to be in the past too.

For example :

• Direct speech:  I’ve lost my umbrella .
• Reported speech:  He said (that) he had lost his umbrella.

Another example :

• Direct speech:  She is doing her homework .
• Reported speech:  He said (that) she was doing her homework.

Table of Changes :

Reported Speech Rules

Verb tense changes in reported speech.

When the reporting verb is in the present tense, only small changes are needed.

• Direct speech:  I like dogs.
• Reported speech:  She  says  she likes dogs.

When the reporting verb is in the past tense, you need to change the tense of both the reporting verb and the main verb.

• Reported speech:  She  said  she  liked  dogs.

The tenses generally move backward as follows:

For sentences about the future, you also need to change the future verbs.

• Direct speech:  I shall leave in a moment.
• Reported speech:  She said that she would leave in a moment.

Here are the changes for future tenses:

Modal Verbs and Reported Speech

Modal verbs also change when used in reported speech.

• Direct speech:  Will I see you later?
• Reported speech:  He asked if he  would  see me later.

Some modal verbs do not need to change tense because they fit naturally.

• Direct speech:  I should go to the park.
• Reported speech:  He told me he  should  go to the park.

Here are both correct and incorrect examples of reported speech for clarity:

• Reported speech:  He told  me  he should go to the park.
• Reported speech:  He said he should go to the park.
• Incorrect reported speech:  He told he should go to the park.
• Incorrect reported speech:  He said me he should go to the park.

To correct these:

• Add ‘me’: He told  me  he should go to the park.
• Remove ‘me’ or add ‘to’: He said he should go to the park or He said  to  me he should go to the park.

Direct and Indirect Speech

Changes in time and place in reported speech.

References to  time  and  place often need to change when you use indirect speech. Here is a useful guide to these changes:

No Change in Verb Tenses in Reported Speech

In some cases,  verb tenses  do not change when you report speech indirectly. Here are the key instances:

• When the introductory verb is in the present , present perfect , or future .
• When the reported sentence deals with a  fact  or  general truth .
• When the reported sentence contains a  time clause .
• If the verb of the sentence is in the  unreal past  (the  second  or the  third conditional ).
• The  subjunctive  stays unchanged in the  subordinate clause .
• Had better ,  could ,  would ,  used to ,  should ,  might ,  ought to , and  mustn’t  remain unchanged.
• If the speaker reports  something immediately  or  soon after it was said .

Reporting Verbs in Indirect Speech

Reporting verbs are crucial in indirect speech. Here is a list categorized by their usage:

• Basic Verbs : Tell, say, ask
• Verb + that + clause : Complain, deny, explain, exclaim, remark, promise, boast, inform somebody, claim, agree, suggest
• Verb + to + infinitive : Agree, offer, refuse, demand, threaten, promise, claim
• Verb + indirect object + to + infinitive : Advise, allow, beg, command, encourage, forbid, invite, want, instruct, permit, urge, order, remind, warn
• Verb + “ing” form : Admit (to), accuse somebody of, apologize for, boast about/of, complain to somebody of, deny, insist on, suggest
• Verb + how : Explain to somebody

Reported Questions

When converting questions from direct to indirect speech, you follow rules similar to those for statements.  Verbs  used include inquire, wonder, want to know, ask.

Reported Commands and Requests

Commands and requests  in Indirect Speech are formed using the  to-infinitive  and  not to-infinitive . Common reporting verbs include order, shout, demand, warn, beg, command, tell, insist, beseech , threaten, implore, ask, propose, forbid.

Pronoun and tense changes  are needed when shifting from direct to indirect speech.

Reported Speech Video

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Reported Speech: Rules, Examples, Exceptions

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What is reported speech?

“Reported speech” is when we talk about what somebody else said – for example:

• Direct Speech: “I’ve been to London three times.”
• Reported Speech: She said she’d been to London three times.

There are a lot of tricky little details to remember, but don’t worry, I’ll explain them and we’ll see lots of examples. The lesson will have three parts – we’ll start by looking at statements in reported speech, and then we’ll learn about some exceptions to the rules, and finally we’ll cover reported questions, requests, and commands.

So much of English grammar – like this topic, reported speech – can be confusing, hard to understand, and even harder to use correctly. I can help you learn grammar easily and use it confidently inside my Advanced English Grammar Course.

In this course, I will make even the most difficult parts of English grammar clear to you – and there are lots of opportunities for you to practice!

Backshift of Verb Tenses in Reported Speech

When we use reported speech, we often change the verb tense backwards in time. This can be called “backshift.”

Here are some examples in different verb tenses:

Reported Speech (Part 1) Quiz

Exceptions to Backshift in Reported Speech

Now that you know some of the reported speech rules about backshift, let’s learn some exceptions.

There are two situations in which we do NOT need to change the verb tense.

No backshift needed when the situation is still true

For example, if someone says “I have three children” (direct speech) then we would say “He said he has three children” because the situation continues to be true.

If I tell you “I live in the United States” (direct speech) then you could tell someone else “She said she lives in the United States” (that’s reported speech) because it is still true.

When the situation is still true, then we don’t need to backshift the verb.

But when the situation is NOT still true, then we DO need to backshift the verb.

Imagine your friend says, “I have a headache.”

• If you immediately go and talk to another friend, you could say, “She said she has a headache,” because the situation is still true
• If you’re talking about that conversation a month after it happened, then you would say, “She said she had a headache,” because it’s no longer true.

No backshift needed when the situation is still in the future

We also don’t need to backshift to the verb when somebody said something about the future, and the event is still in the future.

Here’s an example:

• On Monday, my friend said, “I ‘ll call you on Friday .”
• “She said she ‘ll call me on Friday”, because Friday is still in the future from now.
• It is also possible to say, “She said she ‘d (she would) call me on Friday.”
• Both of them are correct, so the backshift in this case is optional.

Let’s look at a different situation:

• On Monday, my friend said, “I ‘ll call you on Tuesday .”
• “She said she ‘d  call me on Tuesday.” I must backshift because the event is NOT still in the future.

Review: Reported Speech, Backshift, & Exceptions

Quick review:

• Normally in reported speech we backshift the verb, we put it in a verb tense that’s a little bit further in the past.
• when the situation is still true
• when the situation is still in the future

Reported Requests, Orders, and Questions

Those were the rules for reported statements, just regular sentences.

What about reported speech for questions, requests, and orders?

For reported requests, we use “asked (someone) to do something”:

• “Please make a copy of this report.” (direct speech)
• She asked me to make a copy of the report. (reported speech)

For reported orders, we use “told (someone) to do something:”

• “Go to the bank.” (direct speech)
• “He told me to go to the bank.” (reported speech)

The main verb stays in the infinitive with “to”:

• She asked me to make a copy of the report. She asked me  make  a copy of the report.
• He told me to go to the bank. He told me  go  to the bank.

For yes/no questions, we use “asked if” and “wanted to know if” in reported speech.

• “Are you coming to the party?” (direct)
• He asked if I was coming to the party. (reported)
• “Did you turn off the TV?” (direct)
• She wanted to know if I had turned off the TV.” (reported)

The main verb changes and back shifts according to the rules and exceptions we learned earlier.

Notice that we don’t use do/does/did in the reported question:

• She wanted to know did I turn off the TV.
• She wanted to know if I had turned off the TV.

For other questions that are not yes/no questions, we use asked/wanted to know (without “if”):

• “When was the company founded?” (direct)
• She asked when the company was founded.” (reported)
• “What kind of car do you drive?” (direct)
• He wanted to know what kind of car I drive. (reported)

Again, notice that we don’t use do/does/did in reported questions:

• “Where does he work?”
• She wanted to know  where does he work.
• She wanted to know where he works.

Also, in questions with the verb “to be,” the word order changes in the reported question:

• “Where were you born?” ([to be] + subject)
• He asked where I was born. (subject + [to be])
• He asked where was I born.

Reported Speech (Part 2) Quiz

Learn more about reported speech:

• Reported speech: Perfect English Grammar
• Reported speech: BJYU’s

If you want to take your English grammar to the next level, then my Advanced English Grammar Course is for you! It will help you master the details of the English language, with clear explanations of essential grammar topics, and lots of practice. I hope to see you inside!

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Reported speech

Reporting orders and requests

Reporting orders and requests.

When we want to report an order or request, we can use a verb like 'tell' with a to-clause:  He told me to go away.  The pattern is  verb + indirect object + to-clause . The indirect object is the person spoken to. Other verbs used in reporting orders and requests in this way are:  command, order, warn, ask, advise, invite, beg, teach, & forbid.

REQUESTS FOR OBJECTS

Requests for objects are reported using the pattern "asked for" + object.

SUGGESTIONS

Suggestions are most often reported using the verbs suggest, insist, recommend, demand, request, and propose followed by a that clause. 'That' and 'should' are optional in these clauses, as shown in the first two examples below. Note that suggest, recommend, and propose may also be followed by a gerund in order to eliminate the indirect object (the receiver of the suggestion) and thus make the suggestion more polite. This usage of the gerund is illustrated in the fourth and fifth examples below.

Course Curriculum

• Direct and indirect speech 15 mins
• Tense changes in reported speech 20 mins
• Changing time and place in reported speech 20 mins
• Reported questions 20 mins
• Reporting verbs 20 mins
• Reporting orders and requests 15 mins
• Reporting hopes, intentions and promises 20 mins

Reported Orders

An order is when somebody tells you to do something and you have no choice. It is not usually polite. It is a "command". Reported orders are one form of reported speech .

We usually introduce reported orders with the verb "tell". The structure is very simple:

• We told the man not to smoke.
• The policeman told us to follow him.

Because we use the infinitive there is no need to worry about tense. But as with reported statements and reported requests , we may need to change pronouns as well as time and place in reported orders.

Here are some examples:

Notice above that we report a negative order by using not .

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) in English – Summary

How to use reported speech.

If you have a sentence in Direct Speech, try to follow our 5 steps to put the sentence into Reported Speech..

• Define the type of the sentence (statement, questions, command)
• What tense is used in the introductory sentence?
• Do you have to change the person (pronoun)?
• Do you have to backshift the tenses?
• Do you have to change expressions of time and place?

1. Statements, Questions, Commands

Mind the type of sentences when you use Reported Speech. There is more detailed information on the following pages.

• Commands, Requests

2. The introductory sentence

If you use Reported Speech there are mostly two main differences.

The introductory sentence in Reported Speech can be in the Present or in the Past .

If the introductory sentences is in the Simple Present, there is no backshift of tenses.

Direct Speech:

• Susan, “ Mary work s in an office.”

Reported Speech:

• Introductory sentence in the Simple Present → Susan says (that)* Mary work s in an office.
• Introductory sentence in the Simple Past → Susan said (that)* Mary work ed in an office.

3. Change of persons/pronouns

If there is a pronoun in Direct Speech, it has possibly to be changed in Reported Speech, depending on the siutation.

• Direct Speech → Susan, “I work in an office.”
• Reported Speech → Susan said (that)* she worked in an office.

Here I is changed to she .

4. Backshift of tenses

If there is backshift of tenses in Reported Speech, the tenses are shifted the following way.

• Direct Speech → Peter, “ I work in the garden.”
• Reported Speech → Peter said (that)* he work ed in the garden.

5. Conversion of expressions of time and place

If there is an expression of time/place in the sentence, it may be changed, depending on the situation.

• Direct Speech → Peter, “I worked in the garden yesterday .”
• Reported Speech → Peter said (that) he had worked in the garden the day before .

6. Additional information

In some cases backshift of tenses is not necessary, e.g. when statements are still true. Backshift of tenses is never wrong.

• John, “My brother is at Leipzig university.”
• John said (that) his brother was at Leipzig university. or
• John said (that) his brother is at Leipzig university.

when you use general statements.

• Mandy, “The sun rises in the east.”
• Mandy said (that) the sun rose in the east. or
• Mandy said (that) the sun rises in the east.

* The word that is optional, that is the reason why we put it in brackets.

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Reported Speech Requests Commands/Exclamations

Reported requests/commands, indirect speech exclamations, try our latest video quizzes.

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Requests in Reported Speech

For pronouns and place / time expressions see statements in reported speech. Tenses are not relevant for requests – simply use ‚to‘  + infinite verb.

For negative requests, use ‚not to‘ + infinite verb.

Exercises on reported speech

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Reported Requests, Commands and Orders

Learn how to form reported requests, commands and orders.

“Nelly, will you shut the window please?” the teacher said. The teacher asked Nelly to shut the window. “Helen, collect the exercise books, please,” the teacher said. The teacher told Helen to collect the exercise books. “Move over, will you?” Helen said to Nelly. Helen asked Nelly to move over. “Boys,” shouted the instructor, “Forward, march!” The instructor ordered the boys to march forward. “Don’t speak all at a time,” the teacher said to her class. The teacher told the class not to speak all at a time. “Fasten the seat belts!” (to passengers) Passengers are requested to fasten the seat belts. “Do not feed the animals.” (to visitors in a Zoo) Visitors are requested not to feed the animals. “Do not touch the exhibits.” (to visitors in a museum) Visitors are required not to touch the exhibits.

Exercise 1. Imagine the situation and the people taking part in the conversation. When reporting the requests do not forget to mention the person addressed. Use: tell, ask, advise, invite.

Example: Stay in bed for a couple of days. – The doctor told the patient to stay in bed for a couple of days.

• Take two pills at a time twice a day.
• Don’t eat too much sugar and bread.
• Sit straight.
• Keep silence, please.
• Don’t rub off the words from the blackboard.
• Show the capital of Nicaragua on the map, please.
• Ring me up tonight, will you?
• Come and have tea with us, will you?
• Come and watch TV show with us.
• Please, don’t forget to clear up the mess.
• Don’t forget to lock the door.
• Don’t drop the ashes on the carpet.
• Hurry up, will you?
• Don’t forget to take the spade and the rake.
• Write your name at the top of this form.
• Don’t waste my time, son.
• Don’t be late for the swimming competition.
• Count off, boys.

Exercise 2. Change the following requests into reported speech . Use the reporting verbs ask, require, advise, warn in the Passive Voice.

• Do not miss lectures. (to students)
• Keep off the grass. (to visitors)
• Cross the road at the zebra crossing. (to pedestrians)
• Do not stay up too late before the examination. (to students)
• Do not speak in the reading hall. (to readers)
• Don’t come into the gym in walking shoes. (to pupils)
• Wear plimsolls in the gym. (to the pupils)
• Return books to the library in time. (to the pupils)
• Don’t be late for the rehearsal. (to drama participants)
• Keep off the sports ground. (to strangers)
• Look in both directions before crossing the road. (to pedestrians)
• Address the letters to the TV studio. (to TV viewers)
• Don’t cross the road against the red light. (to pedestrians)
• Do not tease the animals. (to zoo visitors)
• Please, cross the railway on foot bridge. (to pedestrians)

Exercise 3.  Report the following requests and commands . Use tell, ask, order, command.

• Do what you told to, don’t argue. (to you)
• Dig yourselves in. (to soldiers)
• Call the next boy. (to you)
• Go into the passage and don’t come in till you are called. (to you)
• Lie down. (to dog)
• Stay in the woods. (to soldiers)
• Count off. (to soldiers)
• Fire salute. (to soldiers)
• Speak in whisper. Don’t disturb the sick. (to a visitor)
• Do the work in writing. (to students)
• Boys, halt!

Exercise 4. Report the following requests and commands . Use invite, advise, recommend, warn.

• “Consult the time-table,” said the office worker.
• The lab assistant said: “Take off your coats and hats, put on these overalls and begin your work, boys, hurry up.”
• “Please, ask questions,” the speaker said to the audience.
• “Don’t stay in the way of the traffic,” said the policeman.
• “Take off your coats and come in,” said the hostess to us.
• “Send your son to a camp,” said the teacher.
• “Visit your mother this summer, Mary,” said Ann.
• “Come and stay a couple of days with us, Ann,” Mary said.
• “Go away, girls, go away, please, don’t stand in the way of the procession,” said the policeman.
• “Don’t sound the horns while you are driving near the hospital,” said the policeman.
• “”You better leave now,” said the doctor.
• “Put on your sweaters, boys, before and especially after the game,” said the instructor.

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Reported questions commands + requests exercises PDF

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Reported questions, commands and requests

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Exercises with answers to download for free.

Reported questions PDF exercise 1

Key with answers 1

• Change direct questions to reported questions. "Where did you work?" - He asked me ___.

Reported questions PDF exercise 2

Key with answers 2

• Report a dialogue. "Did you pass the exam, Sue?" - "Yes, I did."... Tim asked Sue ___.

Reported questions PDF exercise 3

Key with answers 3

• Change reported questions into direct questions. Sam asked me why I hadn't come. - "Why didn't you come?"

Reported commands PDF exercise 4

Key with answers 4

• Complete sentences in the reported speech. "Leave your room." - He asked me ___.

Reported commands PDF exercise 5

Key with answers 5

• Find and correct mistakes. "Don't do it." - He told me I didn't do it.

Reported speech exercises PDF Changes of tenses, time and place in reported statements.

Online exercises with answers:

Direct and indirect speech exercises Multiple choice and gap-filling exercises on reported statements, questions and commands.

Grammar rules PDF:

Reported speech rules PDF Changes of tenses, pronouns, time and place in reported statements, questions and commands.

English grammar PDF All PDF rules with examples on this website to download for free.

Reported questions

Direct questions become reported questions with the same word order as statements. The reporting verb say changes into ask, want to know, wonder... "Where have you been?" he said. - He asked me where I had been. "What time did it start?" he said. - He wanted to know what time it had started. "Why won't he do it?" she said. - She wondered why he wouldn't do it.

In yes/no questions we use if or whether in questions. If is more common and whether is more formal. "Will you come?" she asked me. - She asked me if/whether I would come. "Did he marry Sue?" she said. - She wondered if/whether he had married Sue.

Reported commands and requests

The commands, requests and advice mostly have the same form in English: verb + object + infinitive ( advise, ask, beg, forbid, order, persuade, recommend, tell, urge, warn etc.).

In the direct speech we do not mention the person in the imperative. In the indirect speech the person addressed must be mentioned. "Get up!" he said. - He told me to get up. "Please, revise for the test," he said. - He urged me to revise for the test. "Put on your coat," I said. - I advised him to put on his coat.

Negative commands, requests and advice are made by verb + object + not + infinitive. "Don't hesitate," he said. - He persuaded me not to hesitate. "Don't smoke," the doctor warned my father. - The doctor warned my father not to smoke.

Tell can introduce statements, commands, requests or advice. The form is different, however.

Statements with tell "I'm leaving," he told me. - He told me that he was leaving.

Commands, requests or advice with tell "Leave the room," he told John. - He told John to leave the room. "Don't give up," the teacher told her students. - The teacher told the students not to give up.

Similarly ask is used in reported questions, commands, requests or advice in different forms.

Questions with ask "Will you make coffee?" he said. - He asked me if I would make coffee.

Commands, requests or advice with ask "Make coffee, please," he said. - He asked me to make coffee. "Don't park in my place," Greg told me. - Greg asked me not to park in his place.

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Reported Speech: Commands and Requests Practice Exercises

• Post last modified: 10 April 2022
• Post category: Grammar Exercises / School Grammar

Learn converting commands and request type Imperative sentences into Indirect Speech or narration. The solved exercises given below are here to do practice on these exercises. Attempt yourself first and then see the answers.

New exercises are added from time to time, so, keep coming here.

Narration: Commands and Requests

Q. change the following sentences into indirect speech..

• He said to his servant, “Leave the room at once”.
• He said to him, “Please wait here till I return.”
• Sara’s mother said to her, “Cook the food properly”.
• The teacher said to a student, “Don’t waste your time”.
• The police man shouted to the man, “Stop or I will shoot you”.
• My elder brother said to me, “Please post this letter for me”.
• I said to my brother, “Let us go to some hill station for a change”.
• The police officer said to a culprit, “Don’t try to be clever”.
• The judge said to the accused, “Hold your tongue”.
• He shouted, “Let me go.”
• She said, “Be quiet and listen to his words.”
• I said to my teacher, ” Pardon me sir”
• He ordered the servant to leave the room at once.
• He requested him to wait there till he returned.
• Sara’s mother ordered her to cook the food properly.
• The teacher ordered a student not to waste the time.
• The police man ordered the man to stop and threatened that otherwise he would shoot him.
• My elder brother requested me to post this letter for him.
• I suggested to my brother that we should go to some hill station for a change.
• The police officer ordered a culprit not to try to be clever.
• The judge ordered the accused to hold his tongue.
• He shouted to let him go.
• He urged them to be quiet and listen to his work.
• I respectfully begged my teacher to pardon me.

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Reported Speech Commands & Requests

Reported speech commands and requests

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This fact check originally appeared on PolitiFact .

Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance sought to negatively frame the 24-year military career of newly minted Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, Minnesota’s current governor.

“When the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America, asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it,” Vance  said  Aug. 7 at the Shelby, Michigan, police department. Vance  served  as a combat correspondent for the U.S. Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007 and deployed to Iraq for six months in 2005 but  did not experience combat .

Vance continued, “When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, do you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him. … I think it’s shameful.” At a different event, Vance used the phrase “ stolen valor ” to describe his accusations against Walz.

On X, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, made a  claim similar to Vance’s,  writing, “Tim Walz TURNED HIS BACK on the soldiers in his unit because he was TOO afraid to deploy to Iraq!!”

READ MORE: Democrats defend Walz’s military record as Vance, GOP begin attacks

Walz retired from the Minnesota National Guard in May 2005. He had submitted retirement paperwork five to seven months beforehand, Fox News  reported , citing the Minnesota National Guard.

In March 2005, Walz’s battalion had been notified about a possible deployment to Iraq within two years, Walz’s congressional campaign said in a  news release  that month, citing the National Guard Public Affairs Office. The Minnesota National Guard said the battalion then received an official order about mobilizing for deployment to Iraq in July 2005, after Walz retired.

Vance’s statement misleads by distorting the timeline. Walz had not been “asked by his country to go to Iraq,” as Vance said. He had been given a two-year window for a potential, not definite, deployment. And the official deployment notice came after Walz’s retirement.

Walz has said since before his Army retirement that he left to run for Congress. He filed his candidacy paperwork in February 2005, before the March 2005 notification about the potential deployment.

This is not a new line of attack. When Walz ran for a second term as Minnesota governor in 2022, his Republican opponent, who did not serve in the U.S. military,  criticized  Walz for leaving the National Guard before his unit deployed to Iraq.

Two retired Minnesota National Guard command sergeant majors also  penned a paid letter  to a Minnesota newspaper in 2018 claiming Walz “embellished and selectively omitted facts” about his military service. This letter resurfaced on X after Vice President Kamala Harris tapped Walz as her running mate. Other  guard   members  who served with Walz have defended him.

Walz’s spokesperson in the Minnesota governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment, and the Harris-Walz campaign declined to comment.

When reached by  The New York Times , a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson didn’t provide new details about Walz’s retirement timeline and instead highlighted Walz’s record advocating for veterans and their families.

When contacted for comment, Vance’s campaign spokesperson sent links to the 2005 Walz campaign news release about the potential deployment and several news stories that quote former members of Walz’s battalion who were upset with him for not deploying to Iraq.

Walz’s military timeline

Walz enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard on April 8, 1981, two days after his 17th birthday. In 1996, Walz transferred to the Minnesota National Guard, where he served in the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery until he retired May 16, 2005, Army Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, Minnesota National Guard’s state public affairs officer, told PolitiFact in a statement.

During his service, Walz responded to floods and tornadoes, specialized in heavy artillery and was recognized for his proficiency in sharpshooting and hand grenades, Minnesota Public Radio  reported .

On Aug. 3, 2003, Walz and his battalion were deployed to Italy to support U.S. operations in Afghanistan under Operation Enduring Freedom. Walz returned to Minnesota in April 2004, Augé said.

WATCH: A look at Walz’s record and how he could bolster Democratic support in the Midwest

In May 2005, Walz, then 41, officially retired from the Minnesota National Guard to campaign for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District. He  filed  his statement of candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Feb. 10, 2005. Walz was elected to Congress in November 2006.

Al Bonnifield, who served with Walz in the Minnesota National Guard, told  Minnesota Public Radio  in 2018 that Walz weighed his retirement from the guard and congressional run “very heavy.” Bonnifield reiterated this to  The Washington Post  on Aug. 7.

“Would the soldier look down on him because he didn’t go with us? Would the common soldier say, ‘Hey, he didn’t go with us, he’s trying to skip out on a deployment?’ And he wasn’t,” Bonnifield said in 2018.

Doug Julin, who served as a more senior command sergeant major in Walz’s battalion, said Walz went over his head to get retirement approval before the unit’s deployment was official, because Julin would have “analyzed it and challenged him,” the  New York Post  reported Aug. 8.

Others who served in Walz’s battalion have said he “ditched” them and his actions were “dishonorable,” Fox News  reported .

Battalion’s deployment to Iraq

Walz’s unit received an “alert order” for mobilization to Iraq on July 14, 2005, Army Lt. Col. Ryan Rossman, Minnesota National Guard’s director of operations, told PolitiFact in a statement.

The unit received the official Department of the Army mobilization order Aug. 14, 2005, and mobilized Oct. 12, 2005, Rossman said.

The unit deployed to Iraq in March 2006 and was deployed for 19 months, according to an October 2007  congressional resolution .

The two retired Minnesota National Guard command sergeant majors who wrote the 2018 letter said the battalion received a “warning order” in early 2005 “to prepare to be mobilized for active duty for a deployment to Iraq.” They did not specify the warning letter’s date. Augé of the Minnesota National Guard told PolitiFact the agency doesn’t have information about any unofficial orders that might have been sent to the battalion.

An  archived March 20, 2005, press release  from Walz’s congressional campaign website said the National Guard Public Affairs Office announced March 17, 2005, “a possible partial mobilization of roughly 2,000 troops from the Minnesota National Guard.” The announcement said a portion of Walz’s battalion could be mobilized to serve in Iraq within the next two years.

Walz said in his campaign’s press release, “As Command Sergeant Major I have a responsibility not only to ready my battalion for Iraq, but also to serve if called on. I am dedicated to serving my country to the best of my ability, whether that is in Washington, D.C., or in Iraq. I don’t want to speculate on what shape my campaign will take if I am deployed, but I have no plans to drop out of the race.”

Although Walz had been  promoted  in 2004 to command sergeant major, he retired in 2005 as a master sergeant,  one rank below  command sergeant major, “for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy,” Augé said.

Joseph Eustice, a 32-year military veteran who served in and led the same guard unit as Walz, told  The New York Times  and  NewsNation  in Aug. 7 interviews that when Walz decided to retire in May 2005, their unit had heard rumors of a potential deployment to Iraq, but had not received official orders.

Vance said, “When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, do you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him.”

Vance’s statement ignores that Walz’s unit was not officially ordered to go to Iraq until July 2005, two months after Walz officially retired.

After 24 years of military service, Walz said he retired from the Minnesota National Guard in May 2005 to run for Congress. He had submitted retirement paperwork five to seven months beforehand. He filed candidacy paperwork in February 2005.

READ MORE: 5 things to know about Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ VP pick

There’s an element of truth in Vance’s statement because in March 2005, before Walz officially retired, his battalion was notified of possible deployment to Iraq within two years. Walz was aware at the time of his retirement that deployment could be possible and one of his fellow guard members described Walz’s retirement decision as “very heavy.”

But the March 2005 notification gave a time frame of two years for a possible — not definite — deployment that would not occur immediately, which is the way Vance’s statement framed it.

At PolitiFact, the burden of proof is on the speaker, Vance, who did not provide details to support his statement. We rate it Mostly False.

PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.

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