Republican Rep Accused of Lying About His Army Combat Record
Rep. Cory Mills' Bronze Star for heroism has been brought into question by five of the men who served with him.
The Florida representative was awarded the star for providing 'life-saving care' to his fellow soldiers under 'intense enemy fire' in Iraq in 2003 despite the 'great risk to his own life,' according to a Monday report from NOTUS. The outlet cited a Department of the Army Form 638, which recommended Mills for the accolade.
But those whom he purportedly saved have no recollection of him doing so.
'He didn't save my life,' Private First Class Joe Heit told NOTUS. 'I don't recall him being there, either.'
Heit is named as one of the soldiers Mills saved on the recommendation form along with Corporal Alan Babin.
Heit further claimed that his injuries were not 'life-threatening' despite Mills' recommendation form describing them as such.
Henry Barbe, a medic who helped evacuate Babin, also told NOTUS that he has no recollection of Mills being at the scene.
'From what I understand about Mills is, he might have been in the unit. I don't remember him being involved in the medevac,' Barbe said. 'To be fair, I was worried about the patients. I don't remember him, and from what I understand, other people don't remember him.'
Platoon sergeant, Sergeant First Class Chris Painter also questioned his account, telling NOTUS, 'I can pretty much confirm 100% Cory Mills was not up at the bridges at the location of everything.'
'Now, if he came to the company position to assist in escorting Babin to the BN aid station I don't know but he wasn't at the bridge [where] it all happened I do know that,' he added.
In a statement to NOTUS, Mills said: 'No soldier writes their own DA Form 638. It is a recommendation for [an] award and soldiers cannot recommend themselves. The form must be reviewed and signed by commanding officers.'
'I was on the ground, but I'm not in a position to dispute different recollections during chaotic wartime events. The DA Form 638 was reviewed and signed by commanding officers,' he added, noting that it was 'true' that Heit 'did not have life-threatening injuries.'
Mills' office did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast's request for comment.
Mills enlisted in the Army in 1999 and was honorably discharged in August 2003. He was elected to Congress in 2022 and has been an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, even attending his hush money trial last summer.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Watch Duty wildfire map: App helps track California blazes, find shelter. What to know
As a wildfire continues to spread in Apple Valley, one service is working overtime to keep residents informed − and safe: Watch Duty. Watch Duty uses an app and a web browser to alert people of nearby wildfires and firefighting efforts "in real-time." By using the platform, Apple Valley residents being impacted by the Ranch Fire − among others − can see a list of local shelters, that status of evacuation orders and warnings, as well as regular updates. John Mills, CEO and co-founder of Watch Duty, said that as a California resident, he has experienced, the same situation tens of thousands of people are dealing with. When he was forced to evacuate from his home west of Healdsburg in Northern California's Sonoma County because of the Walbridge Fire in 2020, he kept his ear to the ground, listening for any and all updates related to the fire. "It was just a traumatizing amount .... You're up all day refreshing your browser tab and trying to figure out where the information is. And turns out, information is on the radio and there are a bunch of the first responder radios," Mills said in a Wednesday interview with USA TODAY. "There are these people who spend all their days and nights listening to first responders relaying that information on Twitter and Facebook. And that's what got me through those fires." Live updates: Ranch Fire reported at 4,200 acres, evacuation orders remain in place Mills decided to get to work on this "crazy idea" he had, helping his friend build a startup in the wildfire space. "I'm riding in fire trucks, doing wildland fire training. I'm hanging out with first responders and trying to understand what the worlds looks like and how I can help," Mills said. "About six months in, I realized what the answer was, and it was what became Watch Duty." Here's what to know about Watch Duty, including how to get it. Watch Duty is a non-profit focused on "disseminating public safety information in real-time from verified sources" about wildfires across 14 states, including Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii and California, according to the Watch Duty website. Any information posted to Watch Duty comes from active and retired firefighters, dispatchers, and first responders, who routinely monitor radio scanners, working around the clock to bring you up-to-the-minute lifesaving information. Watch Duty was built in 80 days and officially launched in August 2021, a year after a multiple fires devastated counties in northern California, including Sonoma County. Get weather and fire alerts via text: Sign up to get current wildfire updates by location Watch Duty follows six steps anytime wildfire-related information is disseminated by fire response personnel. An automated monitoring system picks up the details about an incident reported to the emergency dispatch center, alerting Watch Duty teams via a messaging app, then any and all Watch Duty reporters in the region begin to monitor radio scanners, wildfire cameras, satellites and other public sources. After that, Watch Duty reporters verify the disseminated information and wait for on-scene personnel to provide an official report on conditions. Watch Duty will notify the affected public of any perceived threat to life or property through the application and will continue to monitor the incident and provide updates until it is extinguished or no longer a threat. A step-by-step video of how Watch Duty works can be seen below. The is available for free to download on the App Store, Google Play, or can be used through your web browser. Watch Duty has been downloaded over 2.8 million times since it was released. In-app features include: Real-time Wildfire Map & Alerts Monitor Wildfires and Prescribed Burns Flight Tracker Air Quality & Wind Direction Consolidated Information like red flag warnings or power outages Track Active Fire Perimeters Evacuation Orders & Shelters Submit Photos This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch Duty: Free wildfire alert app helps California residents
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
WWII Veteran recalls landing on Utah Beach in Normandy
ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL) — 81 years ago, World War II allies invaded Normandy, liberating France and Western Europe, and laying the path to victory. 'We came in on a landing craft with the front down, and we jumped into the water,' Army veteran Don Parker recalled of landing on Utah Beach a few days later. 'They had some – we'll call them cannons, they may have been 88s. That's what finally hit me. Well, it wasn't exactly comfortable, I don't know how else to describe it. It was bloody, it was messy.' Landing in Normandy is something most people read about in history books, but Parker lived it. 'We crawled in front of Patton's tanks, and we probed with our bayonets to get the pressure bombs that were down under there. We had to get and disable the bombs,' he said. 'Patton brought his tanks across after that… He didn't lose any tanks there anyway.' The rifleman remembers capturing a German outpost and earning a Bronze Star. 'I didn't think the choices were very good, but I had enough patriotism that it had to be done,' he said. 'It was necessary. That's about the only sensible thing to say. We had to do it and we did it.' PREVIOUS STORY: World War II Army veteran celebrates 100th birthday He said there is a mix of emotions about his time in the 79th Division during WWII. 'I was in college, I wanted to stay there. But when they drafted me, I didn't run to Canada,' he said. 'They want me? I'll go. And I went.' Parker was later injured, almost losing his foot to gangrene. 'I was digging a foxhole, and a shell come in and [my feet were in fragments]. And then when they got me back to the surgeon, he looks at me and puts his hand on my shoulder and says, 'I'm sorry, son, but I have to cut off your left foot,'' Parker recalled. 'They were right, I was going to die, but I mean the timing was wrong because I've still got the foot and that was some years ago.' SEE MORE: Abingdon veteran celebrates 100th birthday And the 101-year-old has a message for those who are now the 'boots on the ground.' 'We did our best, that's what we'd want to see of the young soldiers now,' he said. 'D-Day | The Greatest Victory' is airing on WJHL+ at 9 p.m. on Friday to mark the 81st anniversary. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
04-06-2025
- USA Today
Sports Illustrated ranks Texans QB Davis Mills bottom three among backups in 2025
Sports Illustrated ranks Texans QB Davis Mills bottom three among backups in 2025 C.J. Stroud is out for OTAs, meaning the Houston Texans are turning the offense over to Davis Mills in drills. The hope is Mills won't have to start or see action unless it's mop-up duty or in a blowout loss, but as a former starter, he's ready to go if head coach DeMeco Ryans calls upon him. But where does Mills rank among backups going into the 2025 season? How would the Texans fare if Mills were to start multiple games for the back-to-back AFC South champions this fall? Sports Illustrated recently ranked all 32 backups entering the 2025 season. Mills, who posted a 5-19-1 during his time leading the offense in 2021 and 2022, ranked near the bottom at No. 30 overall, largely due to the success of C.J. Stroud. "Mills has had zero starts since the organization drafted C.J. Stroud in 2023. But the '21 third-round pick has impressed Houston as a QB2, evident by the one-year, $5 million extension he received last year," SI's Gilberto Manzano wrote. "Mills has plenty of experience, starting 26 games in his first two NFL seasons." While this might feel low, the list is filled with former first-round picks and high-priced options. No. 1 is Atlanta Falcons passer Kirk Cousins, who was expected to be the next franchise option after inking a four-year deal in 2024. He's now potentially on the market for any team that could use a starting quarterback this offseason, especially the Pittsburgh Steelers. Daniel Jones and Jimmy Garoppolo, who are former high-paid options, rounded out the top three and very well could start for at least two NFL teams this season. Several quarterbacks could be midseason replacements on bad teams like New York Giants rookie Jaxson Dart (No. 5) also rounded out the top five. If anything Mills' ranking likely has more to do with the praise of Stroud than his on-field play. Even if it feels low, that likely means the Texans know he's meant to be nothing more than a quality No. 2 option.
