Cory Mills leans on comrade's testimony, only to have his 'twice wounded' tall tale blown up
Republican Rep. Cory Mills (Fla.) has on multiple occasions claimed that he was "blown up" twice overseas and campaigned on the biographical assertion that he was "wounded twice while deployed." His story does not, however, add up.
When called out this week for alleged "stolen valor," the scandal-plagued congressman shared a letter from an old comrade in an apparent effort to validate his narrative. This attempt to bolster his account does not appear to have gone as planned.
The narrative
Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, then-congressional candidate Cory Mills released a campaign advertisement highlighting his supposed bona fides. A quarter of the way through the ad, Mills refers to his formative experiences in the Middle East.
'Unreal.'
Mills states in the ad, "I was hit not once but twice with improvised explosive devices and explosive formed projectiles. After you take a hit like that, you don't know if you're going to survive or not."
During that stretch of the video, a large graphic appears at the center of the screen stating, "WOUNDED TWICE WHILE DEPLOYED."
Keen observers have questioned the veracity of the "wounded twice" claim in the campaign advertisement as well as Mills' repeated assertion that he was "blown up twice" while serving as a defense contractor in Iraq.
Mills' congressional bio states, "While serving abroad, he was struck twice in 2006, once with an improvised explosive device (IED) and once with an Iranian explosively formed projectile (EFP), which resulted in numerous casualties."
RELATED: Cory Mills' Bronze Star document raises serious concerns about stolen valor, Rep. Mace says
Mills told C-SPAN in 2023 that he "was blown up twice by roadside bombs in 2006."
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace (S.C.) shared a video of Mills' claims to X on Monday, writing, "Beginning to think nothing Cory Mills says is true. This guy has been parading himself around as some sort of U.S. Army special ops covert Ranger sniper James Bond 007 elite commando for years and it's not even remotely close."
'Was it some severe maiming wound? No.'
"He was an ambulance driver mainly in the motor pool," continued Mace. "Medics work hard to save lives! Why wasn’t that good enough? But instead he fabricated his resume, and stole stories from men who either gave their life for their country and can’t speak now or can’t speak for themselves due to their injuries."
"Total Stolen Valor. And this guy sits on the House Armed Service committee?" added Mace. "Unreal."
The admission
Mills' "blown up twice" claims appear to be in reference to two incidents that took place in Iraq: a roadside bombing that occurred on March 15, 2006, and a roadside bombing that took place on April 19, 2006.
Blaze News previously confirmed that Mills was present at the first incident. However, photographic evidence and sources have called into question the congressman's recollection of events and alleged injuries.
Mills, discussing the first incident, revealed the extent of his injuries in his April interview with Blaze News.
"I ended up hitting my head," said Mills. "Was it some severe maiming wound? No. I've got the actual document that shows where I was hit."
RELATED: Stolen valor? Veterans dispute Cory Mills’ record: 'He fooled a lot of us'
"I had a concussion. So a concussion isn't being wounded? Knocking your head off an actual armored vehicle door and having to go get treated and have three days down, that's not being wounded, right? So what is your definition? Do I need to lose an arm? Do I need to be shot in shrapnel? Just tell me. Tell me what your definition of wounded is. Because apparently, [traumatic brain injury] is not an external wound," said Mills.
After Mills suggested that he had sustained a Purple Heart-qualifying wound, Blaze News asked Mills for clarification whether he had indeed suffered a traumatic brain injury.
"No, actually I just got reviewed by the PA and the doc there, and they basically told me, 'Monitor yourself over the next 24 hours,' and then — which I did — and then 72 hours later, I was cleared to be able to return back to work."
"So you weren't wounded, then," said Blaze News.
"According to them, I had a severe concussion. That's all they wrote up," said Mills.
'That blood on Cory was not Cory's.'
When Blaze News later pressed Mills on the twice-wounded claim and asked whether, in the second incident in which a vehicle was hit by an explosion, he was in the affected car, Mills answered, "No."
"We were on the team that [was] actually there," said Mills. "We helped to try and pull everyone out and actually get the bodies transferred."
"Were you wounded then?" asked Blaze News.
"No, I wasn't wounded on that," said Mills.
Scott Kempkins, one of Mills' then-colleagues who suffered injuries in the second incident, previously told Blaze News that Mills was "absolutely not wounded."
"I got hit in the shoulder, the neck, and the leg," Kempkins said. "And then the guy in the turret took a little bit of shrapnel to the side of his face. That was it. Cory's vehicle was already around the corner and about 50 yards down the street. It would have been impossible for him to be wounded."
While Mills has referred to blood on his pant leg in a photograph taken after the mission as supposed confirmation of an injury, one of his colleagues told Blaze News that the blood did not belong to Mills.
An appeal to doubt
In response to Rep. Mace's Monday tweet, Mills shared the photograph of him apparently wearing another man's blood along with a July 16, 2025, letter from Paul Sovitsky, Mills' team leader in Iraq when he was working for DynCorp International on the State Department's World Personal Protective Services program.
'If Cory is claiming he was wounded in both, that's probably a stretch.'
Sovitsky's letter did not support the "twice wounded" claim but gave Mills a possible out regarding his "blown up twice" narrative.
"I understand that there may be a question as to what 'blown up' means to the military contractors that served in Iraq and Afghanistan," said the letter. "It refers (in contractor speak) to being in a motorcade struck by improvised explosive devices."
"It does not necessarily mean that you are physically 'blown up' or even seriously wounded," added Sovitsky.
Sovitsky, who was in the vehicle with the congressman when their motorcade was ambushed by a command-detonated IED, subsequently told Blaze News that "with all of Cory's train wrecks, no one needs to lie about what he did."
"I don't think there was any question about the first explosion," said Sovitsky, who indicated he had asked for the letter not to be made public, and called Mills a "human train wreck."
Sovitsky lent credence to Mills' claim of an injury in the first roadside attack, telling Blaze News that the congressman complained of a "throbbing" head after their Suburban was raked with bullets and swept by a shock wave.
Sovitsky cast doubt, however, on whether Mills sustained an injury in the second roadside bombing, referring to indications that he was around 50 yards away at the time.
"If Cory is claiming he was wounded in both, that's probably a stretch," Sovitsky told Blaze News. "He did provide aid. He even got blood on his pants treating — I believe it was Scott Kempkins, who got a big wound in his shoulder."
When Blaze News noted that Mills had shared the photograph where his pant leg was bloodied as if to insinuate that was his injury, Sovitsky said, "No, no, totally a lie."
"That blood on Cory was not Cory's," added Sovitsky.
Blaze News has reached out to Mills for comment.
While Sovitsky acknowledged that the congressman proved effective and helpful at the time, he noted, "If the beef on Cory is that he has lied about his military service and exaggerated his contractor service, you can't fix that by then telling a lie."
"In court, the minute you can impeach some part of, you know, a witness' testimony, their entire testimony ... has to be questioned," said Sovitsky. "And I want Cory to pay the price for his lies and screwing people over."
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Cory Mills' Bronze Star document raises serious concerns about stolen valor, Rep. Mace says
Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) once again finds himself mired in controversy, this time facing questions from a fellow congressional Republican who doubts the validity of his Bronze Star and has accused Mills of engaging in "stolen valor," an accusation some who served with Mills have leveled as well.
Mills has long leaned on his military service and Bronze Star as evidence that he has the qualifications to serve his community in Congress. "Cory Mills is a decorated U.S. Army combat Veteran, and recipient of the Bronze Star," an old version of his official government bio stated.
As recently as July 18, Mills repeated the “Bronze Star recipient” boast.
'All this could be put to bed with real, verified documents, and he doesn't have them or refuses to share them.'
However, as Blaze News previously reported, questions have swirled for years about Mills' Bronze Star and the DA Form 638 used to recommend him for it. A photo of the form that has circulated online does confirm that Mills was recommended for a “Bronze Star medal” for his “SVC” in Operation Iraqi Freedom. It also suggests that now-retired Brig. Gen. Arnold Gordon-Bray signed off on the application.
According to Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), that form was completed and signed by someone other than Gen. Bray.
“The general did not sign the form,” Mace told Blaze News during a phone interview. Mace then reiterated that accusation on Tuesday's episode of "Blaze News: The Mandate."
"I spoke to General Bray over the weekend," Mace told hosts Matthew Peterson and Jill Savage. "... Well, come to find out the general whose name is on that form didn't even sign it and didn't actually see the document before his signature was placed on it."
RELATED: Cory Mills vs. the truth: Top 10 times the GOP wunderkind played fast and loose with the facts
Blaze News reviewed a recording of Mace's conversation with Bray. On the recording, the man identified himself as Gen. Bray and confirmed that he authorized the Form 638 for Mills via an email sent to a woman named Cathy, whom Bray believed to be a member of Mills’ staff. A woman named Catherine Treadmill does work as Mills' chief of staff.
Bray also acknowledged on the recording that the form was incomplete when he first reviewed it and that he did not sign it himself. Instead, he said that his email to Cathy would serve as his "signature."
Though Bray denied ever signing the form, a signature does appear on it:
Gen. Bray did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.
Another point of contention with the DA Form 638 linked to Mills is that it was issued on an April 2021 version of the document, even as the document indicates the Bronze Star was for Mills' service in Iraq between February and June 2003.
Mace, who noted that she is not a veteran, told Blaze News that while “upgrades” in military awards appear to be nothing unusual, the military typically does not issue a new award after so much time has lapsed. As she described it, soldiers very rarely go “from zero to something” after nearly two decades.
“My understanding is that soldiers do get upgrades periodically,” she explained. “... Usually, when you see these forms filled out 20, 25 years later, it's an upgrade of an award because new information has been provided, new witnesses, information that was missing because there is the fog of war. It's usually in an upgrade scenario. That's not what this is.”
“All this could be put to bed with real, verified documents,” Mace told Blaze News, “and he doesn't have them or refuses to share them.”
Furthermore, not all Bronze Stars are created equal. A Bronze Star with a valor device is awarded to those who have demonstrated remarkable bravery on the battlefield. Those Bronze Stars such as Mills' without the valor device are rather commonplace these days, denoting some demonstration of general merit.
Another source who spoke with Bray told Blaze News that Bray emphasized that the Bronze Star he authorized for Mills was for merit only and did not have the valor device. On the recording, Bray confirmed that he recommended Bronze Stars for all of his platoon sergeants, including Mills.
RELATED: Rep. Mills’ risky road trip through Syria raises eyebrows
After Mills cast the deciding vote last week against Mace’s bill that would have censured Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota for her disparaging remarks about the late Charlie Kirk, Mace began a tweet storm about Mills, sharing many of the alarming allegations against him that Blaze News has reported in recent months.
On "The Mandate" on Tuesday, Mace expressed admiration for whatever military service Mills rendered but indicated that the integrity of that service has been compromised by Mills' repeated lies and exaggerations about it. She even hinted that he is an "imposter."
'There's no reason to lie and say that you're Rambo or 007 or this Ranger sniper commando guy ... — there's no "there" there.'
"He told people he was an Army Ranger," Mace stated. "I talked to two people today who knew him, and they flat-out said he said he was an Army Ranger and was a sniper and all these things. Turns out it was not true."
"I think it's very admirable that Cory Mills was an ambulance driver like he was," she said, though quickly adding that "we're not even sure he was trained as a medic. We can't find proof of that right now.
"But," she continued, "whether you're a medic or an ambulance driver, you have decided to serve your country. That, in and of itself, is admirable. So there's no reason to lie and say that you're Rambo or 007 or this Ranger sniper commando guy ... — there's no 'there' there."
Mace stated that Mills’ troubling track record of alleged stolen valor, among other accusations, makes him a threat to “national security” and should therefore lead to his removal from his congressional committees.
"Because of this negativity, the negative press he's been attracting for months locally, his seat's at risk if we don't replace him," Mace claimed on "The Mandate." "And then when you look at the allegations of the arms dealing, the bags of cash, allegedly, you know, is this guy a national security threat? He sits ... on the Foreign Affairs Committee. How the heck is he even on this committee? If there is allegations are swirling around him, we can't have someone who's stolen valor on the House Armed Services Committee.
"Like, what are we even talking about?"
Mills' spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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Why did Cory Mills come to Ilhan Omar's rescue?
Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida was one of the four GOP lawmakers to block the censure of Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Although Mills publicly argued that he was simply voting to protect Omar's First Amendment rights, reports indicate that there may have been a deeper motive.
Following Charlie Kirk's horrific assassination, Omar let out a slew of insensitive comments that sparked outrage among conservatives. As a result, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina introduced a resolution to censure Omar, which would formally condemn the Democrat and strip her of her committee assignments.
'Ilhan Omar mocked the cold-blooded assassination of an innocent American husband and father.'
Mace's resolution narrowly failed 214-213 in a procedural vote Wednesday night, with Mills casting the deciding vote.
Republican Reps. Mike Flood of Nebraska, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, and Tom McClintock of California joined Mills in voting against Omar's censure.
"Ilhan Omar mocked the cold-blooded assassination of an innocent American husband and father," Mace said in a post on X. "She’s supported ISIS. She’s supported the Muslim Brotherhood. She’s incited political violence. And tonight, Congress protected her."
Mills' decisive vote comes as Axios reported that House Democrats were pushing a retaliatory censure against him unless Omar's censure was tanked. Democrat Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, who filed the censure against Mills, later confirmed to Axios that he now intends to withdraw the resolution.
RELATED: Ilhan Omar mocks Trump and others for praising Charlie Kirk: 'These people are full of s**t!'
Mills is facing a slew of allegations reported by Blaze News, including accusations of sextortion, financial misconduct, and stolen valor, all of which he has denied. There have also been questions raised about Mills' faith after he was found to have been married by a radical Islamic cleric at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, which has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
When approached for a comment regarding his decisive vote protecting Omar, Mills' spokeswoman, Jillian Anderson, told Blaze News she was "not available."
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Free-speech defenders clash with Bondi’s ‘hate speech’ crackdown: ‘Keep America free’
Conservatives and other free-speech advocates criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi for declaring that the Department of Justice will "go after" those spreading "hate speech."
"There's free speech, and then there's hate speech. And there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society. We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech," Bondi stated during a Monday interview.
'Arresting people for "hate speech" is about as liberal as it gets. Every conservative should oppose it.'
The backlash for the comment prompted Bondi to clarify her stance in a post on X Tuesday morning.
"Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It's a crime. For far too long, we've watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over," Bondi wrote.
Free-speech advocates have long warned that the purpose of the First Amendment is to protect unpopular speech, including what some may consider "hate speech." They caution that failing to uphold this principle would result in restrictions on freedom of expression.
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk stated in May 2024, "Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There's ugly speech. There's gross speech. There's evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment. Keep America free."
RELATED: When words became ‘violence,’ bloodshed was inevitable
He argued that hate speech is "subjective" and that any laws restricting such expression would "be used against conservatives before it's used against leftists."
In July, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) slammed a California Senate bill that would penalize online platforms for failing to censor users.
"California wants to fine platforms $1 million if they don't censor what they call 'hate speech,'" Mace wrote. "Translation: Silence conservatives ... or pay the price."
By contrast, during a 2022 news interview with MSNBC, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stated, "There's no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy."
This remark was mentioned by then-Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) during last year's vice presidential debate.
Vance told Walz, "You guys attack us for not believing in democracy. The most sacred right under the United States' democracy is the First Amendment. You yourself have said there's no First Amendment right to misinformation. Kamala Harris wants to use the power of government and Big Tech to silence people from speaking their minds. That is a threat to democracy that will long outlive this present political moment. I would like Democrats and Republicans to both reject censorship."
Matt Walsh with the Daily Wire previously called hate speech "a meaningless term, and it should never be used as a pretense to ban, censor, arrest, punish or silence anyone, ever, under any circumstance." He also stated, "Arresting people for 'hate speech' is about as liberal as it gets. Every conservative should oppose it."
On Tuesday, a reporter questioned President Donald Trump about Bondi's comments.
"What do you make of Pam Bondi saying she's going to go after hate speech?" the reporter asked. "A lot of your allies say that hate speech is free speech."
"She'll probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly. It's hate," Trump replied. "You have a lot of hate in your heart."
"We want everything to be fair. It hasn't been fair. And the radical left has done tremendous damage to the country, but we're fixing it," he added.
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