David Flippo, the Republican nominee for Congress in a competitive Nevada district, has repeatedly claimed he served in Operation Desert Storm.
asserted
he → claim → Storm
Yet, according to a US Air Force spokesperson, Flippo was not on active duty until nine months after that military campaign ended.
uncertain
campaign → accord → duty
In a candidate questionnaire, Flippo said he was at Montana State University in 1990 and 1991.
asserted
he → say → 1990
He also appears in Montana State’s 1991 yearbook as a member of the school’s Air Force ROTC program.
asserted
He → appear → program
The Air Force spokesperson told me that Flippo, who served as an enlisted airman before going back to college and becoming an officer, entered active duty as an officer on December 10, 1991.
asserted
who → tell → December
Combat operations against Iraq by the United States and its allies during Operation Desert Storm began on January 17, 1991, and ended on February 28.
asserted
operations → begin → February
They were preceded by the troop buildup during Operation Desert Shield, which began in August 1990 and continued until the start of Desert Storm.
asserted
which → precede → Storm
Flippo has claimed he was in the “desert” in 1991.
asserted
he → claim → 1991
As he put it at a 2024 fundraiser during his first run for Congress: “Think about when I served, ’85 to ’09.
asserted
I → put → 09
What the heck was happening?
asserted
heck → happen → ?
What happened in ’91?
asserted
What → happen → 91
What happened in ’03?
asserted
What → happen → 03
The February 8, 1991, edition of Montana State’s student newspaper places Flippo at the university during the war.
asserted
edition → place → war
The article reports that Flippo became the student leader of Montana State’s Air Force ROTC program on January 31, two weeks into the war.
asserted
Flippo → report → war
It goes on to note, “As the new commander, Cadet Col Dave Flippo has many challenges ahead.
asserted
Flippo → go → challenges
The remarks at the fundraiser were not the only time that Flippo suggested he was in the Gulf War.
uncertain
he → suggest → War
As first reported by the conservative outlet Nevada News & Views, Flippo, who retired as an Air Force officer in 2009, has repeatedly said on the campaign trail that he was in Desert Storm and has often worn a hat that identifies him as a veteran of that war.
asserted
that → report → war
Flippo has already faced accusations of exaggerating his military record.
asserted
Flippo → face → record
His campaign falsely claimed that he had a Bronze Star with valor that he did not earn.
asserted
he → claim → that
The Reno Gazette-Journal has also reported that Flippo was relieved of his command as an Air Force squadron commander in 2008.
asserted
Flippo → report → 2008
He left the Air Force the following year.
asserted
He → leave → Force
Other aspects of his candidacy have also raised questions.
asserted
aspects → raise → questions
Flippo has reported putting more than $2.5 million into his campaigns, despite having no obvious source of such wealth.
asserted
Flippo → report → wealth
The Nevada Republican has failed to file legally required financial disclosures dating back to 2023, when he launched his first bid for Congress.
asserted
he → fail → Congress
As I’ve reported, Flippo also has ties to a dubious Arizona land venture that says it aims to produce “constant” 20 percent returns for 20 years.
asserted
it → report → years
The Washington Sun and Wall Street Journal have reported that Flippo’s campaign claimed to have received donations from two dead people.
asserted
campaign → report → people
(His campaign blamed a clerical error for one of the donations; the campaign’s treasurer said he is “looking into” the other contribution.
asserted
he → blame → contribution
In October, Flippo told a Reno TV station, “I was in Operation Southern Watch and Operation Northern Watch and Iraqi Freedom and Desert Storm and all of that was all throughout my career because I came in ’85.”
asserted
I → tell → 85
In a similar vein, Flippo told former Rep. Matt Gaetz earlier this year that with “24 years in the Air Force, I spent my life from Desert Storm all the way through Iraqi Freedom.”
asserted
I → tell → Freedom
In a May 2025 podcast interview, he said, “I did 24 years in the Air Force from 1985 to 2009.
uncertain
I → say → 2009
In all three cases, he neglected to mention that he was not on active duty between about 1989 and December 1991, according to the Air Force and the article from the Montana State student paper.
uncertain
he → neglect → paper
That period covers the entirety of Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the key operations related to that war.
asserted
period → cover → war
Flippo wrote in an October op-ed that he was “deployed to Saudi Arabia right after the birth of our second son” in 1992.
asserted
he → write → 1992
Public records show that his second son was born in April of that year, meaning that Flippo would have arrived in the region more than a year after Operation Desert Storm ended.
asserted
Storm → show → region
By that point, the United States was conducting a ceasefire campaign, rather than an active war.
asserted
States → conduct → campaign
In text messages, Rory McShane, Flippo’s main campaign consultant, called the questions about Flippo’s Desert Storm claims a “total non story,” saying that Congress and the Air Force “say he’s a Desert Storm Veteran.”
uncertain
he → call → claims
He did not answer questions about when Flippo returned to active duty or whether Flippo served in Operation Desert Storm in early 1991.
asserted
Flippo → answer → 1991
He also did not say why Flippo claimed to have been in the desert in 1991.
asserted
Flippo → say → 1991
McShane pointed to the fact that Flippo was awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal.
asserted
Flippo → point → Medal
An Air Force website states that the award was given to “members of the U.S. armed forces who served in support of Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm between Aug. 2, 1990 and Nov. 30, 1995.”
asserted
who → state → Aug.
…and 20 more, not listed.
The Aporia
