Texas Congressman Troy Nehls Accused Of Stolen Valor

A Texas Congressman is taking a defiant tone against claims of stolen valor.

Congressman Troy Nehls of Texas is no longer wearing the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) that he often wears on his lapel after accusations of stolen valor. Accusations Nelhs claims are false and an attack on him from political opponents.

According to Military.com, Nelhs has been under pressure for weeks now to remove the Combat Infantryman Badge from his lapel after CBS News and Guardian of Valor first accused Nelhs of stolen valor in May after they had learned that the Army had revoked the CIB back in March of 2023.

Was Troy Nelhs Awarded the Combat Infantry Badge?

Yes, in 2008, but it was revoked in 2023 because Nehls served as a civil affairs officer, not an infantryman or Special Forces soldier. According to Military.com, Nehls would not have qualified for the CIB in 2008.

In order to be eligible for a CIB, a soldier must be an infantryman or Green Beret, be serving in those roles at the time of the award, and engage an enemy in direct ground combat.

While Nehls first enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard in 1988 as an infantryman, his military occupational speciality in 2008 was civil affairs, making him ineligible for a CIB, according to documents published by Guardian of Valor.

Nelhs was awarded the Combat Action Badge in 2006 which Military.com described as "essentially the same award" but for those soldiers who had jobs not in infantry or Special Forces. That award has not been called into question.

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What Does the U.S. Army Say?

While we haven't seen a copy of the official Army response, Military.com did report that Congressman Nehls wrote to the Army earlier in June asking why the award was rescinded.

Nehls released a statement this week saying that from a letter he received from the "Department of the Army, 142,596 CIBs have been awarded over the past 20 years. Of these, only 47 CIBs have been rescinded." Nehls went on to say that there are no lengths to which the "establishment won't go to discredit me, including my CIB, which I was awarded 14 years ago".

Is Nehls Still Wearing the Combat Infantry Badge?

On Wednesday, June 26, Congressman Nehls was seen no longer wearing the CIB.