Troy Nehls defends combat badge award: ‘I don’t have to justify myself’
Troy Nehls defends combat badge award: ‘I don’t have to justify myself’
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) is continuing to defend his Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB), claiming the “establishment” is trying to discredit him after the Army revised his military record to show he did not qualify for the badge he often wears on his lapel.
“I don’t have to justify myself to you all, in any form or fashion,” Nehls told reporters Wednesday on Capitol Hill. “I know the truth.”
Nehls says he was awarded the CIB while serving in the 101st Airborne Division in 2008. But the Army confirmed to The Hill that it reviewed his record in 2023 and corrected it to indicate he is no longer eligible for the badge.
Nehls also released a statement Tuesday, which he claimed was his “final” written comment on the matter, that argued the CIB was properly awarded to him and was reflected on his military record.
Although he admitted the Army had rescinded his badge, Nehls claimed that 142,596 CIBs have been awarded over the past 20 years, and only 47 have been rescinded. The Hill could not verify those claims. Nehls said the numbers show the Army is right at the time of awarding more than 99 percent of the time.
“Unfortunately for me, as an America First Patriot and an outspoken member of Congress, there are no lengths to which the establishment won’t go to discredit me, including my CIB, which I was awarded over 14 years ago,” he said in the statement. “Nothing more needs to be said.”
An active duty member or veteran can only qualify for a CIB if, at the time the badge was awarded, they served as an infantry soldier or Green Beret and experienced active combat in a unit that came under hostile fire and engaged the enemy.
Nehls was a civil affairs officer in 2008, when the badge was awarded.
Nehls deployed to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He served in the Wisconsin National Guard from July 1988 to November 2001, and with the Army Reserve from November 2001 to December 2008.
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