McHenry pulls video of Green Zone

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on April 8, 2008 - 10:40am.
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Patrick McHenryU.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry has pulled a video of himself in the Green Zone.

On Friday, the Cherryville Republican posted a video on his Congressional Web site in which he discussed a rocket attack that occurred shortly after he tried to get into a gym.

"According to our folks here, there were eleven rockets, uh, one hit just over my head, another hit a parking lot, and another hit the gym," he says in the video, which has since been pulled.

The vice president of the group VoteVets, an advocacy group that aims to help elect veterans critical of the execution of the war in Iraq, wrote a post critical of the video Monday.

"The bottom line is that whoever launched that strike could take the information McHenry provided and use it to kill Americans in the Green Zone," wrote Brandon Friedman. "This is why professionals operating in a combat zone are trained not to reveal any battle damage after an attack."

In the May 6 Republican primary, McHenry faces Lance Sigmon, a retired Air Force colonel. Daniel Johnson, a Navy veteran, is running for the Democratic nomination against Hickory businessman Steve Ivester.

Earlier: McHenry takes heat for description of guard.

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Re: McHenry pulls video of Green Zone

Submitted by awbeal on April 8, 2008 - 12:01pm.

What a contrast to McHenry opponent Daniel Johnson, who is known for saving the life of a serviceman, not endangering members of our military.

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Re: McHenry pulls video of Green Zone

Submitted by captsfufp on April 8, 2008 - 11:27am.

Look, the congressman is either ignorant or negligent when it comes to OPSEC (operational security). As Brandon said, based on Rep. McHenry's comments, the insurgent/terrorists/bad guy du jour can take the battle damage he indicated and coordinate their attacks appropriately. Most of the time they are just firing in the direction of coalition forces, be it with rockets and mortars, never knowing if they hit anything. But, thanks to these comments, they now have intelligence on the location of structures in the Green Zone and can coordinate their attacks on the locations the congressman describes, figuring out the best time of day to attack to ensure maximum casualties.

As an Iraq vet who faced his fair share of indirect fire, I know this is a serious matter. Rep. McHenry needs to acknowledge the damage he caused, apologize, and work towards the policies of REALLY supporting the troops instead of cheerleading the Administration on the sidelines and calling it a day. It's my hope that this experience will teach the congressman a lesson and realize he needs to "change the course."

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