Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) does not qualify for the combat infantryman (CIB) badge he claims to wear on his lapel, according to the Army.
Nehls served as an infantryman, engineer officer and civil affairs officer in the Wisconsin National Guard from July 1988 to November 2001 and in the Army Reserve from November 2001 to December 2008, according to the Army.
Although he was deployed to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, he did not meet the requirements for the badge at the time of his deployment abroad.
To qualify for a CIB, a veteran must, at the time the badge was awarded, have served as an infantryman or Green Beret and have seen active combat, including serving in a unit that is actively under hostile fire and engaged in return fire.
At the time the CIB was granted in 2008, Nehls served as a civil affairs officer, according to reports from CBS News and Guardian of Valor.
The Army said in a statement to The Hill that it reviewed Nehls’ record in 2023 and issued a DD215, or a correction to a DD214 form that certifies release from active duty. The DD215 does not include a CIB.
Nehls continued to assert that the CIB was properly granted. He sent a letter to U.S. Army Human Resources Command earlier this month saying he disagrees with the revocation.
“I further believe this is a concerted effort to discredit my military service and continued service to the American people as a member of Congress,” he wrote.
The CIB was created in 1943 to especially recognize the infantry soldier who has satisfactorily engaged in ground combat.
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