(LibertySons.org) – Representative Troy Nehls (R-TX) proudly served in the US Army for 21 years before deciding to continue his public service in the political spectrum. During his time in the military, he was awarded the prestigious Bronze Star twice and the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB). However, his service record shows only one Bronze Star and his CIB was revoked in 2023. These discrepancies have confused the congressman, and now he wants answers.
The Combat Infantryman Badge, established in 1943, has the following requirements for receiving the award. The soldier must:
- Have an infantryman or Special Forces MOS with the grade of colonel or below
- Be in an infantry unit engaged in active ground combat
- Actively participate in the ground combat
The Army is very clear that people without the infantry or Special Forces MOS do not qualify for the CIB.
During his career, Nehls was a civil affairs officer assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and deployed to active combat areas in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was awarded the CIB in 2008 despite not having the correct MOS. While this award may not have been correct, it DID happen. In March of 2023, seemingly unbeknownst to him, the Army revoked the award.
He has asked the Army to answer some questions because he feels he is being targeted for his conservative views and for supporting former President Donald Trump. Nehls, who continues to wear his CIB lapel pin on the House floor, wants to know if the award was revoked and how many other CIBs were revoked for the missions he was in.
As for the Bronze Stars, Nehls posted a picture on X (formerly Twitter) of both of his awards and the paperwork associated with them. The documentation shows one awarded in 2004 and another in 2008 for a completely different engagement, while his military record only shows one.
Some of Nehls’ fellow lawmakers are calling for him to stop wearing the pin, calling his actions “stolen valor.” However, at least one stolen valor organization doesn’t agree with that assessment.
The group Stolen Valor/Guardian of Valor posted on X that they don’t believe Nehls is guilty of Stolen Valor because they believe he was never notified about the CIB revocation and that he didn’t know the information for one of his Bronze Stars wasn’t in his file. Intent matters with this offense.
Nehls is hoping the Army will address his questions and that its reasonings aren’t politically motivated.
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