Former commander’s account adds to scrutiny over Flippo’s military record as AFL-CIO veterans raise concerns and Flippo explains the dual Valor devices he wore for years.
Questions surrounding Republican congressional nominee David Flippo’s military record widened this week after his former commanding officer said Flippo was removed from squadron command for a “loss of confidence.”
The Reno Gazette Journal reported that retired Col. Steven Lawlor, who commanded the 354th Maintenance Group at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, said he relieved Flippo of command of the 354th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron in 2008.
“I was the Maintenance Group Commander; Lt Col Flippo was the aircraft Maintenance Squadron Commander,” Lawlor said.
“He was relieved of command for loss of confidence in his ability to command.”
The RGJ reported that it independently confirmed Lawlor’s account with the major who was hired to fill Flippo’s position at the base.
Nevada News & Views also reviewed correspondence in which Lawlor described the removal in even more direct terms:
“I fired him for loss of confidence in his ability to lead.”
The revelation adds a new dimension to scrutiny of Flippo’s military record that began when The Washington Post reported that his campaign had repeatedly described his Bronze Star as having been awarded “for valor.”
Flippo did receive a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. He did not receive the Bronze Star with Valor.
AFL-CIO: Veterans Have “Grave Concerns”
The military controversy is also drawing a response from organized labor.
Steve Smith, deputy director of communications for the AFL-CIO, told Nevada News & Views that the organization has heard directly from veterans concerned about Flippo.
“We’re hearing from veterans who have grave concerns about David Flippo given his history of misrepresenting his military record,” Smith said.
“If he can’t be trusted to be truthful about his service, how can voters in the district trust he’s up to the job of representing them in Congress? Residents of NV-2 deserve better.”
The statement comes amid an unusual investment by the national labor organization in a district it has largely left alone. The AFL-CIO is launching a six-figure digital campaign targeting NV-02, which The Nevada Independent reported is likely the organization’s first targeted advertising in the heavily Republican district.
Smith previously told the Indy that union veterans began contacting the AFL-CIO following reporting about Flippo’s Bronze Star, prompting veterans within the organization to film ads criticizing the Republican nominee’s representations of his military service. The campaign is designed to reach targeted union members and their families at least 20 times over four weeks.
Flippo’s campaign has attempted to connect that labor effort to Lawlor, describing his former commander as a “veteran turned union organizer” in its response to the report.
Lawlor told Nevada News & Views that his union experience consisted of serving for one year as an office shop steward for the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association while working as a rural carrier associate at the Columbia, Tennessee, Post Office. His role, he said, involved handling grievances and representing rural carriers during investigations and disciplinary proceedings.
The NRLCA is not affiliated with the AFL-CIO and does not appear on the AFL-CIO’s current list of affiliated unions.
Lawlor also pushed back on suggestions of a partisan motivation.
“Nothing political about it,” Lawlor told Nevada News & Views.
Asked by the RGJ whether he had ever been affiliated with Democrats, Lawlor responded:
“Not only no, but hell no.”
The RGJ reported that Lawlor voted for Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
Flippo Addresses the Dual “V” Pins
Meanwhile, Flippo has now publicly addressed another unresolved question surrounding his military record: the dual “V” devices displayed next to the Bronze Star pin on his veteran hat.
In a report published Wednesday, NPR noted that Nevada News & Views first raised questions about the dual pins and reported that Flippo addressed why he displayed them publicly for the first time in his interview with NPR.
“You know if you’ve lived with grandkids, and you know, you kind of know, when you ask them to put those things on your hat,” Flippo said before offering further evidence.
“Actually, answer me this. I do have another hat that’s just like it, because you misplace one or whatever, and that does not have any V devices on it, so and I was like ‘where did that other V device go?’ So, the grandkids ended up doing that.”
It was Flippo’s first public explanation for the dual devices.
Nevada News & Views first raised the question on Sept. 28 after retired Air Force Master Sgt. Daniel J. Casentini reviewed Flippo’s decorations. Flippo’s Outstanding Unit Award with Valor could account for one Valor device, but Casentini could not identify an award in Flippo’s disclosed record accounting for the second.
The campaign did not respond when Nevada News & Views asked what the two”V” pins represented and which awards in Flippo’s record they corresponded to.
Read our prior coverage:
The hat, however, had been part of Flippo’s public appearance for years. Mother Jones subsequently documented photographs of Flippo wearing the dual devices dating back to at least August 2023 and continuing through June 2026.
NPR also reported that Flippo wore the hat at campaign events, including his June primary-night victory party. A photograph prominently displayed on his campaign website showed him wearing the Bronze Star pin and the two V devices.
According to NPR, the campaign replaced that photograph shortly after its interview with Flippo.
Nevada News & Views independently archived the original version of Flippo’s campaign website, preserving the image before it was replaced.
“It’s just crazy what people are going to go after,” Flippo told NPR.
Scrutiny Grows as General Election Nears
Questions surrounding Flippo’s military record now span several distinct issues.
His campaign repeatedly described his Bronze Star as having been awarded for valor; the two “V” pins appeared on a hat he personally wore for years; and his former superior now says he relieved Flippo of squadron command in 2008 because he had lost confidence in Flippo’s ability to command.
The 2008 command removal was not the only time Flippo was involuntarily separated from a position.
In November 2024, First Command Brokerage Services discharged Flippo over alleged violations of company policies and regulatory requirements involving electronic communications, books and records, and customer identification, according to his FINRA BrokerCheck disclosure. The filing states that no clients were harmed.
The new questions about Flippo’s military record come as Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District draws increasing national attention.
In NPR’s report Wednesday, retiring Republican Rep. Mark Amodei described the contest as unusually competitive.
“This seat is some kind of competitive like it has never been in the history since it was created,” Amodei said.
Asked what he attributed that to, Amodei pointed to his party’s nominee.
“And you know what I attribute that to? I attribute it to the candidate and the way he’s run his campaign.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story identified retired Col. Patrick Campbell as the officer brought in to replace David Flippo. Retired Col. Steven Lawlor subsequently clarified that Lt. Col. Mark Murphy temporarily filled the position following Flippo’s removal and was later replaced by Maj. Chris Borring.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI.
