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A Donald Trump-backed Nevada Republican is under fire over repeated campaign claims that he won a Bronze Star 'for valor.'
David Flippo's campaign blames staff errors, insisting the wording was a mistake rather than an attempt to mislead.
uncertain
wording → sign → errors
Flippo is running for Nevada's 2nd Congressional District, the heavily Republican seat being vacated by Representative Mark Amodei.
asserted
Flippo → run → Amodei
Trump endorsed him, hailing him as an 'America First Patriot' and giving him his 'Complete and Total Endorsement.'
That put Trump at odds with Amodei and much of the state party, who backed former state Senator James Settelmeyer.
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who → endorse → Settelmeyer
Amodei has refused to endorse Flippo, dismissing him as 'not my cup of tea' and faulting his lack of Northern Nevada roots.
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Amodei → refuse → roots
According to military records, Flippo received a Bronze Star for his service.
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Flippo → accord → service
The military also recognizes a separate valor distinction, the 'V' device, for acts of heroism during direct combat with an enemy.
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military → recognize → enemy
The inaccurate description first appeared during Flippo's 2023 congressional campaign.
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description → appear → campaign
His campaign announcement video included a narrator saying he was a 'recipient of the Bronze Star that he received for valor'
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he → include → valor
According to military records, Flippo received a Bronze Star for his service.
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Flippo → accord → service
The military also recognizes a separate valor distinction, the 'V' device, for acts of heroism during direct combat with an enemy
A February 2026 fundraising email inaccurately claimed Flippo had 'earned the Bronze Star for valor,' language his campaign later acknowledged was incorrect.
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campaign → recognize → language
His spokesperson attributed the wording to a copywriter who 'accidentally' used outdated talking points
Yet his campaigns have repeatedly described it as a Bronze Star 'for valor.'
The claim dates back to his 2023 run for Congress, when the narrator of his launch video called him a 'recipient of the Bronze Star that he received for valor.'
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he → attribute → valor
That video was only taken down after The Washington Post questioned the campaign about it.
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Post → take → it
The claim then resurfaced this year.
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claim → resurface → ?
In February, after Combat Vets for Congress endorsed him, a fundraising email said Flippo had 'earned the Bronze Star for valor.'
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Flippo → endorse → valor
Another appeal a week later used similar language.
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appeal → use → language
His campaign now admits the descriptions were wrong, but it has offered two different explanations.
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it → admit → explanations
Spokesman Rory McShane told the Post that a copywriter had 'accidentally' recycled old talking points while churning out hundreds of fundraising solicitations.
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copywriter → tell → solicitations
Flippo blamed video editors instead.
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Flippo → blame → editors
He said they had mistakenly merged his Bronze Star with another honor, the Outstanding Unit Award with Valor.
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they → say → Valor
'Three years ago, our video editors made a mistake,' he said, adding that he regretted not checking the wording more closely.
Doug Sterner, a military-awards expert who has received two Bronze Stars, questioned the repeated use of the valor description.
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who → make → description
'It's pretty sad that this is a multiple-time thing,' Sterner said.
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Sterner → say → ?
'It shows a pattern of deception.
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It → show → deception
It is someone trying to give an impression of their service that is not true.'
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that → try → service
Jason Dempsey, a retired Army infantry officer and national-security fellow, also characterized the wording as a significant exaggeration.
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Dempsey → retire → exaggeration
Flippo served in the Air Force for 24 years, from 1985 to 2009, according to a 2025 interview.
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Flippo → serve → interview
He worked as a maintenance and logistics officer and served as a logistics commander during the Iraq War.
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He → work → War
His military service included overseeing the distribution of millions of gallons of aviation fuel used to support thousands of combat sorties and strategic airlift missions.
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service → include → sorties
The Nevada Republican Party has defended Flippo amid the controversy.
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Party → defend → controversy
In a statement, the party said his campaign had confused his Bronze Star with the Outstanding Unit Award with Valor.
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campaign → say → Valor
The party argued that the mistake does not diminish Flippo's military service or the decorations he earned, and criticized reporters for focusing on the wording error.
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he → argue → error
The Daily Mail has reached out to Flippo's campaign for comment.
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Mail → reach → comment
The Aporia
