内华达州一个竞争激烈的国会选区的共和党提名人大卫·弗利波（David Flippo）多次声称自己曾参加“沙漠风暴”行动。然而，据美国空军发言人称，弗利波直到该军事行动结束九个月后才进入现役。
David Flippo, the Republican nominee for Congress in a competitive Nevada district, has repeatedly claimed he served in Operation Desert Storm. Yet, according to a US Air Force spokesperson, Flippo was not on active duty until nine months after that military campaign ended.
在一份候选人问卷中，弗利波表示他在1990年和1991年就读于蒙大拿州立大学。他也出现在蒙大拿州立大学1991年的年鉴中，身份是该校空军预备役军官训练团（ROTC）项目的成员。空军发言人告诉我，弗利波曾作为一名士兵服役，随后重返大学并成为军官，于1991年12月10日以军官身份进入现役。
candidate questionnaire Flippo said he was at Montana State University in 1990 and 1991. He also appears in Montana State’s 1991 yearbook as a member of the school’s Air Force ROTC program. The Air Force spokesperson told me that Flippo, who served as an enlisted airman before going back to college and becoming an officer, entered active duty as an officer on December 10, 1991.
美国及其盟国在“沙漠风暴”行动中对伊拉克的战斗行动于1991年1月17日开始，2月28日结束。此前是“沙漠盾牌”行动期间的部队集结，始于1990年8月，持续到“沙漠风暴”行动开始为止。
Combat operations against Iraq by the United States and its allies during Operation Desert Storm began on January 17, 1991, and ended on February 28. They were preceded by the troop buildup during Operation Desert Shield, which began in August 1990 and continued until the start of Desert Storm.
弗利波声称他在1991年曾在“沙漠”地区。他在2024年首次竞选国会期间的一次筹款活动上这样说道：“想想我什么时候服役的，1985年到2009年。到底发生了什么？1991年发生了什么？2003年发生了什么？我全都经历了。我在那整段时间都在沙漠里。”
Flippo has claimed he was in the “desert” in 1991. As he put it at a 2024 fundraiser during his first run for Congress: “Think about when I served, ’85 to ’09. What the heck was happening? What happened in ’91? What happened in ’03? I was in all of that. I was in the desert all that time.”
蒙大拿州立大学学生报纸1991年2月8日的版面显示，弗利波在战争期间身在该校。文章报道，弗利波于1月31日成为蒙大拿州立大学空军预备役军官训练团项目的学生负责人，距战争爆发已过去两周。文章接着指出：“作为新任指挥官，学员上校戴夫·弗利波面临诸多挑战。”筹款活动上的发言并非弗利波唯一一次暗示他参加过海湾战争。
The February 8, 1991, edition of Montana State’s student newspaper places Flippo at the university during the war. The article reports that Flippo became the student leader of Montana State’s Air Force ROTC program on January 31, two weeks into the war. It goes on to note, “As the new commander, Cadet Col Dave Flippo has many challenges ahead.”The remarks at the fundraiser were not the only time that Flippo suggested he was in the Gulf War.
正如保守派媒体《华盛顿自由灯塔》率先报道的那样，弗利波于2009年以空军军官身份退役，他在竞选途中多次声称自己参加过“沙漠风暴”行动，并经常戴着一顶标明他是该战争退伍军人的帽子。
As first reported by the conservative outlet , Flippo, who retired as an Air Force officer in 2009, has repeatedly said on the campaign trail that he was in Desert Storm and has often worn a hat that identifies him as a veteran of that war.
弗利波已经面临关于夸大其军事履历的指控。他的竞选团队虚假宣称他获得了一枚带“V”字装置的铜星勋章，而实际上他并未获得该勋章。《国会山报》还报道称，弗利波于2008年被解除空军中队指挥官职务。次年，他退出了空军。
Flippo has already faced accusations of exaggerating his military record. His campaign falsely claimed that he had a Bronze Star with valor that he did not earn. has also reported that Flippo was relieved of his command as an Air Force squadron commander in 2008. He left the Air Force the following year.
其他方面也对他的候选资格提出了质疑。Flippo 报称向自己的竞选投入了超过 250 万美元，尽管没有明显的财富来源。该内华达州共和党人未能提交自 2023 年起的法定财务披露，当时他首次竞选国会。正如我之前报道的，Flippo 还与一个可疑的亚利桑那州土地项目有关，该项目声称旨在在 20 年内提供“持续”20% 的回报，并且我们已报道，Flippo 的竞选声称收到了两名已故人士的捐款。
（他的竞选团队将其中一笔捐款归咎于文书错误；竞选财务主管表示他正在“调查”另一笔捐款。）“如果有人说自己参加过沙漠之盾、沙漠风暴，我会以为他当时在战区服役。没人会为了夸大自己的军旅经历而这么做。”
Other aspects of his candidacy have also raised questions. Flippo has reported putting more than $2.5 million into his campaigns, despite having no obvious source of such wealth. The Nevada Republican has failed to file legally required financial disclosures dating back to 2023, when he launched his first bid for Congress. As I’ve reported, Flippo also has ties to a dubious Arizona land venture that says it aims to produce “constant” 20 percent returns for 20 years. and have reported that Flippo’s campaign claimed to have received donations from two dead people. (His campaign blamed a clerical error for one of the donations; the campaign’s treasurer said he is “looking into” the other contribution.)“If a guy said he was in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, I would have assumed he was in theater during that time. You don’t do things to exaggerate your military service.”
十月，Flippo 对雷诺一家电视台表示：“我参加过南部监视行动、北部监视行动、伊拉克自由行动以及沙漠风暴，这些都是我自 1985 年入伍以来整个职业生涯中的经历。” 类似地，Flippo 前众议员马特·盖茨（Matt Gaetz）今年早些时候称，“在空军服役 24 年，我的生涯从沙漠风暴一直到伊拉克自由。” 在 2025 年 5 月的播客访谈中，他说：“我在空军服役了 24 年，从 1985 年到 2009 年。所以，我显然参加过沙漠风暴。”
In October, Flippo told a Reno TV station, “I was in Operation Southern Watch and Operation Northern Watch and Iraqi Freedom and Desert Storm and all of that was all throughout my career because I came in ’85.”In a similar vein, Flippo former Rep. Matt Gaetz earlier this year that with “24 years in the Air Force, I spent my life from Desert Storm all the way through Iraqi Freedom.”In a May 2025 podcast interview he said, “I did 24 years in the Air Force from 1985 to 2009. So, I was in for Desert Storm, obviously.”
在这三种说法中，他都未提及根据空军和《蒙大拿州学生报》文章，他在约 1989 年至 1991 年 12 月期间并未在现役服役。该时期正好覆盖了沙漠之盾和沙漠风暴这两场关键作战。
In all three cases, he neglected to mention that he was not on active duty between about 1989 and December 1991, according to the Air Force and the article from the Montana State student paper. That period covers the entirety of Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the key operations related to that war.
弗利波在10月的一篇署名文章中写道，他在1992年“次子出生后不久被部署到沙特阿拉伯”。公开记录显示，他的次子于当年4月出生，这意味着弗利波抵达该地区的时间是在“沙漠风暴行动”结束一年多之后。到那时，美国正在进行停火行动，而非实战。
Flippo wrote in an October op-ed that he was “deployed to Saudi Arabia right after the birth of our second son” in 1992. Public records show that his second son was born in April of that year, meaning that Flippo would have arrived in the region more than a year after Operation Desert Storm ended. By that point, the United States was conducting a ceasefire campaign, rather than an active war.
在短信中，弗利波的首席竞选顾问罗里·麦克谢恩将关于弗利波“沙漠风暴行动”主张的质疑称为“完全不是新闻”，并表示国会和空军“说他是‘沙漠风暴行动’老兵”。他没有回答弗利波何时重返现役，也没有回答弗利波是否在1991年初参加了“沙漠风暴行动”。他也没有说明弗利波为何声称1991年曾在沙漠服役。
In text messages, Rory McShane, Flippo’s main campaign consultant, called the questions about Flippo’s Desert Storm claims a “total non story,” saying that Congress and the Air Force “say he’s a Desert Storm Veteran.”He did not answer questions about when Flippo returned to active duty or whether Flippo served in Operation Desert Storm in early 1991. He also did not say why Flippo claimed to have been in the desert in 1991.
麦克谢恩指出，弗利波曾获得西南亚服役奖章。空军官网称，该奖章授予“在1990年8月2日至1995年11月30日期间为支持‘沙漠盾牌行动’或‘沙漠风暴行动’服役的美国武装部队成员”。根据该网站，该奖章与三个战役阶段相关：1990年和1991年“沙漠风暴行动”前夕的沙特阿拉伯防御、1991年从伊拉克军队手中解放科威特，以及1995年结束的“西南亚停火战役”。
McShane pointed to the fact that Flippo was awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal. An Air Force website states that the award was given to “members of the U.S. armed forces who served in support of Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm between Aug. 2, 1990 and Nov. 30, 1995.”According to that site, the award was given in relation to three campaign periods: the defense of Saudi Arabia in the lead-up to Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991, the liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi forces in 1991, and the “Southwest Asia Cease Fire Campaign” that ended in 1995. (The timing of Flippo’s 1992 deployment to Saudi Arabia suggests that he served only in the Southwest Asia Cease Fire Campaign.)
（弗利波1992年部署沙特阿拉伯的时间表明，他仅参加了“西南亚停火战役”。）弗利波的军事档案中未列出沙特阿拉伯王国授予参加“沙漠风暴行动”联军部队的科威特解放奖章。
Flippo’s military records do not list the Kuwait Liberation Medal that was given by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to coalition forces who served in Desert Storm.
麦克谢恩还强调了国会于1991年通过的一项法案和一项修正案中的措辞，该措辞为该法律的目的将“沙漠风暴行动”定义为“作为伊拉克入侵科威特的后果而进行的美国武装部队行动”。该定义明确包括“沙漠盾牌行动”、“沙漠风暴行动”和“提供安慰行动”，后者于1991年至1996年间在伊拉克和土耳其保护库尔德难民。
McShane also highlighted language in a bill and an amendment passed by Congress in 1991 that defined Operation Desert Storm as “operations of United States Armed Forces conducted as a consequence of the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq” for the purpose of that law. The definition explicitly included operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Provide Comfort, which protected Kurdish refugees in Iraq and Turkey between 1991 and 1996.
对于弗利波可能何时参与“提供安慰行动”的问题，麦克谢恩未予回应。据空军发言人称，弗利波曾在土耳其一个与该行动相关的基地服役，公开记录显示他大约从1995年开始在那里服役。
McShane did not respond to a question about when Flippo may have participated in Operation Provide Comfort. Flippo served at a base in Turkey associated with that operation, according to the Air Force spokesperson, and public records list him there starting around 1995.
根据2017年的一份新闻稿，于10月在国家广场开放的“沙漠盾牌和沙漠风暴纪念碑”的目的是为了表彰“1990年8月2日至1991年4月6日期间，在‘沙漠盾牌行动’和‘沙漠风暴行动’中服役的65万名军人以及阵亡的383名军人。”
According to a 2017 press release the purpose of the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial, which opened on the National Mall in October, is to honor the “650,000 service members who served and 383 military [personnel] who died in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm from August 2, 1990 to April 6, 1991.”
退役空军资深军士长丹尼尔·卡森蒂尼一直对弗利波关于其军事履历的说法持批评态度，他在电子邮件中表示，他怀疑“任何真正在‘沙漠风暴行动’中服役的老兵，除非他在行动期间身处战区，否则不会视他为‘沙漠风暴’老兵。”卡森蒂尼补充道：“这只是他缺乏诚信的又一个例子，这很讽刺，因为‘诚信至上’是空军的三大核心价值观之一。”
Daniel Casentini, a retired Air Force master sergeant who has been critical of Flippo’s claims about his military record, said via email that he doubted that any “veteran who actually served in Desert Storm would see him as a Desert Storm veteran unless he was in theater during the operation itself.”Casentini added, “[I]t’s just another example of his lack of integrity, which is ironic since ‘Integrity First’ is one of the Air Force’s three core values.”
9月，弗利波被指控“窃取荣誉”，此前他的竞选团队虚假声称他在第二次伊拉克战争中的服役获得了“带‘V’字勋扣的铜星勋章”，而他实际获得的是更为常见的普通铜星勋章。在该虚假声明被揭露后，弗利波称这是其工作人员的一个诚实错误。
In September, Flippo was accused of stolen valor after his campaign falsely claimed that he received a Bronze Star with valor for his service in the second Iraq war, when he actually has the far more common standard Bronze Star. After the revealed those false claims, Flippo said his staff made an honest mistake.
问题在于，Flippo 反复佩戴一顶带有 V 形标志的帽子，这些标志暗示他曾获得带“V”字装置的铜星勋章（即授予英勇表现的铜星勋章）。当他戴着这顶帽子的照片曝光后，Flippo 把责任推给孙子孙女，说是他们把标志贴上去的。（这顶帽子还标明他是“沙漠风暴”行动老兵，他戴了多年。）内华达州退役陆军中校 Scott Maryott 正在支持 Flippo 的民主党对手 Teresa Benitez-Thompson，他也对 Flippo 关于“沙漠风暴”行动的说法提出批评。
The problem with that explanation was that Flippo repeatedly wore a hat featuring V-shaped emblems that suggested he had earned a Bronze Star with valor. After photos of him in the hat emerged, Flippo blamed his grandkids for putting the emblems on it. (Flippo wore the hat, which also identified him as a Desert Storm veteran, for years.) Scott Maryott, a retired Army lieutenant colonel in Nevada who is supporting Flippo’s Democratic opponent, Teresa Benitez-Thompson, was also critical of Flippo’s Desert Storm claims.
“如果一个人说他参加过‘沙漠盾牌’、‘沙漠风暴’行动，我会以为他在当时身处战区，”Maryott 说。
“If a guy said he was in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, I would have assumed he was in theater during that time,” Maryott said.
“你不该夸大自己的军事服役经历，”Maryott 说。“对自己的军事服役最谦逊的人，往往做得最多。而夸大自己服役经历的人，暴露的是性格缺陷。”
“You don’t do things to exaggerate your military service,” Maryott said. “The people that are most humble about their military service probably did the most. And it’s people that exaggerate their service that really show a character flaw.”