A GOP rep was awarded a Bronze Star for his bravery in Iraq. Those he reportedly saved can’t remember him being there
Representative Cory Mills, a MAGA Republican from Florida, was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroism in Iraq in 2003 — but those he allegedly saved don’t remember him being there, a new report reveals.
Mills was honored after he administered “life-saving care” to fellow soldiers Joe Heit and Alan Babin at “great risk to his own life” while under “intense enemy fire” in Iraq, NOTUS reports, citing the document recommending Mills receive the award. Mills enlisted in the Army in July 1999 at 19 years old and was honorably discharged in August 2003.
But Heit told NOTUS that Mills “didn’t save” his life, and that he didn’t even suffer life-threatening injuries.
“I don’t recall him being there either,” he added.
Henry Barbe, a medic who flew in via helicopter to help evacuate Babin, also told NOTUS he doesn’t remember Mills being there.
“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.”
Chris Painter, the platoon sergeant, said he 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,” Painter told NOTUS.
Army documents recommending Mills for the award also state he saved Joe Ferrand, a sergeant who had been “grabbed by an enemy insurgent” in a separate incident, according to NOTUS. But Ferrand previously claimed Mills’ involvement in the incident was a “fabrication” and said that the act “never took place,” in a written statement to government officials.
In response to these claims, Mills told NOTUS that “no soldier writes their own DA Form 638,” referring to the document used to recommend soldiers for awards.
“It is a recommendation for award and soldiers cannot recommend themselves,” Mills said. “The form must be reviewed and signed by commanding officers.”
Mills also conceded that it was “true” that Heit “did not have life-threatening injuries” and attributed the discrepancies to how chaotic the day was.
“I was on the ground,” Mills said. “It was a chaotic day and understandable that others may have different recollections of events.”
The questions around his Bronze Star have been relayed to the Office of Congressional Ethics, Department of Justice, a U.S. attorney’s office in Florida and the FBI, the source told NOTUS.
