| Representative Cory Mills honorably serves as a member of the 118th Congress, representing the voices and values of Florida's Seventh residents. As one of nearly 100 distinguished Veterans currently serving on Capitol Hill, Representative Mills serves on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees. Born in Winter Haven, Florida, Representative Mills spent his formative years in Auburndale, Florida. Raised by his grandparents, he learned the value of stability, resilience, and the importance of community support from an early age. He attributes his journey to his grandparents' unwavering love and guidance, who provided him with a nurturing environment. He decided to pursue a path of service and selflessness. At a young age, driven by a sense of duty and gratitude, Representative Mills chose to commit himself to military service.
He served with the 82nd Airborne Division and Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). 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. Fortunately, he was able to stabilize himself and other members on his team who were injured in the explosion prior to evacuation. For his actions, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilizad presented Representative Mills with a Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for his actions which saved members of his team and U.S. military service members. His deployments included time in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Pakistan, and Somalia. Representative Mills has traveled to the front lines of Ukraine during the Russian invasion to provide information for USAID and Department of State officials. He also supported anti-terrorism assistance training for the Kurdish forces in northern Iraq to help them repel potential insurgencies. Later on, he was appointed under the Trump Administration to the Pentagon as a Department of Defense (DoD) advisor and a foreign policy expert.
As an Army Combat Veteran, he understands firsthand the sacrifices made to uphold the principles of freedom and democracy. His experiences overseas have shaped his perspective on the importance of preserving constitutional liberties and defending against all threats, foreign and domestic, which is why, before taking office in 2021 during the botched withdrawal in Afghanistan, he collaborated with an exceptional team to facilitate the evacuation of an American family stranded in Afghanistan. He replicated this effort as a Member of Congress when American citizens were stranded during the violent conflict in Israel on October 7, 2023. Within a few days, he was in Israel, alongside many of his original team members from the Afghanistan evacuation, all volunteering their services willingly because those are the values embedded in members of the armed forces. With the support of Mercury One and the Tzedek Association, they ultimately secured a flight to evacuate even more individuals. Eventually, they successfully assisted over 255 Americans in returning safely home to the U.S.
In the private sector, Representative Mills co-founded Pacem Solution International LLC and Pacem Defense LLC. Through the PACEM companies, they supported risk management assessments, intelligence collection, and security for media such as NPR news. In 2018, Pacem Defense acquired Amtec Less Lethal Systems, Inc., now known as ALS, Inc., in Perry, Florida, to help continue its support to the law enforcement communities and our allies abroad.
Transitioning from the battlefield to the halls of Congress, Representative Mills continues his legacy of service by advocating for the values and principles that define the American spirit, with a commitment to upholding the rights and freedoms of the American people, ensuring that the voices of his constituents are heard and respected. In Congress, he seeks to honor the legacy of those who have served before him by championing policies that promote prosperity and security. He remains steadfast in his mission to serve his constituents with integrity, compassion, and a commitment to the values that make America strong. |