An Air Force veteran running for Congress has reportedly apologized after exaggerating his Bronze Star record.
David Flippo, a Republican congressional candidate in Nevada endorsed by President Donald Trump, claimed on numerous occasions that he received a Bronze Star “for valor” during his two decades in the service. However, he actually received a standard Bronze Star award.
Flippo received a Bronze Star in 2004. But, as first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday, he published campaign materials describing him as a “recipient of the Bronze Star that he received for valor” in 2023, during his first failed congressional campaign.
The publication said his campaign also repeated the claim during two fundraising solicitations in the current election cycle.
Flippo’s campaign apologized to the publication for what they described as an error. Miiltary.com reached out to Flippo’s campaign for further comment.
The Bronze Star Medal recognizes sustained meritorious service during a deployment, while the Bronze Star for valor is reserved for specific acts of heroism, when a service member faces direct personal risk and displays bravery under enemy fire.
To differentiate between the two, a bronze ‘V’ is pinned to the ribbon for valor-related awards.
Flippo’s Campaign Calls It ‘Honest Mistake’
The Washington Post reported that the 2023 video in which the campaign mentions “valor” was deleted from social media at the time the publication contacted the Flippo campaign regarding the claims in question.
Flippo told the publication his campaign “made a mistake” by conflating his award with the Outstanding Unit Award with Valor he also received.
“Three years ago, our video editors made a mistake and tried to combine these two awards for a commercial,” he said in a statement. “After realizing this error, our campaign has not used that ad again, and it has not been part of our campaign this election cycle.”
Rory McShane, Flippo’s spokesperson, said the most recent campaigning was “an honest mistake that has been apologized for.”
Flippo is running in a solidly Republican seat. His election takes place this November.
Flippo’s Air Force Career
Flippo served in the Air Force from 1985 to 2009 as a maintenance and logistics officer.
He was deployed during the Iraq War and, in a 2025 podcast, said he was the logistics commander “in charge of standing up the air bases we captured” during this conflict.
A Bronze Star Medal is seen resting on a table at an aircraft hangar on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan. 8, 2020, before a ceremony. Col. (U.S. Air Force photo/Justin Connaher)
At the time, he was based at the Air Force Institute of Technology’s School of Systems and Logistics at Wright-Patterson Air Force base.
The local Dayton Daily News wrote in 2004 that he received the Bronze Star as he was “honored for his efforts in directing the distribution of over two million gallons of aviation fuel to sustain over 2,700 combat sorties as well as the redistribution of 31 million gallons of fuel to 4,005 strategic airlift missions.”
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