Dale Punch, Past 5th Division Commander of the American Legion and Chairman of the Veterans for McHenry Coalition

Hickory, Aug 21, 2008 -

The McHenry for Congress campaign today announced its Veterans for McHenry Coalition.  At present, the group consists of 111 local veterans and is headed by Dale Punch of Lincolnton, Past 5^th Division Commander of the American Legion.

"From getting the VA clinic built to passing the new GI Bill, the veterans of Western North Carolina have no greater friend than Patrick McHenry," Punch stated.

Efforts to bring the VA clinic to the 10^th District date back to 1992.  However, it had gotten stuck in the bureaucratic red tape of Washington.  Upon arriving in Congress in 2005, Patrick McHenry built bipartisan support for a renewed look at the project and met with then-Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson to make the case for moving forward with the clinic.  On June 4 of this year, the Community Based Outpatient Clinic began serving patients in Hickory.

For his work, Congressman McHenry was honored by the North Carolina Chapters of the American Legion and Marine Corps League.

On June 19, 2008, Congressman McHenry helped pass a modernized and more generous GI Bill.  The new GI Bill provides qualified veterans with the equivalent of four years of college education at a state university.  McHenry was an original co-sponsor of one version of the new G.I. Bill, which included a provision to allow service members to transfer their benefits to their spouses and children.  That provision, a priority for local veterans, was incorporated into the bill which passed the House.

"I'm humbled to have the support of so many brave and honorable American patriots.  I'll never stop fighting for the veterans of Western North Carolina.  They deserve nothing less," Congressman McHenry said.

The names of the Veterans for McHenry Coalition members are attached.

Punch concluded, "I couldn't be more pleased by the outpouring of support from so many local veterans for Patrick McHenry.  It's only August and we already have more than 100 coalition members.  It's a testament to Patrick McHenry's hard work and results on behalf of Western North Carolina veterans."

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Bill Abernathy, Cherryville

James Acuff, Spruce Pine

William Alexander, Cherryville

Jerry Ashley, Statesville

Paul Aulbach, Vale

Jerry Baxter, Cherryville

Tom Beam, Cherryville

Clarence Beard, Lincolnton

Thomas Bell, Mooresville

David A. Benfield, Lenoir

Rocky Bennett, Cherryville

Blaine Biddix, Spruce Pine

George Biggerstaff III, Grover

Jim Black, Cherryville

David B. Blanton, Cherryville

Bill Bowen, Gastonia

Lenny Boxton, Cherryville

Curtis Boyles, Lincolnton

Chris Brackett, Hudson

George “Chuck” Bradley, Jr., Lincolnton

Larry Bradley, Gastonia

Charles W. Brown, Cherryville

Bill Burleson, Spruce Pine

Willy Burleson, Bakersville

Charles Byers, Ellenboro

Mary Campbell, Morganton

Mauro Capobianco, Hickory

Jonathon Carlisle, Lenoir

Roy Casper, Concord

Sherman Carey, Lincolnton

Darrell G. Carpenter, Cherryville

George “Bill” Carpenter, Cherryville

Lee R. Carpenter, Cherryville

Perry D. Carpenter, Cherryville

Jack Carroll, Morganton

Johnnie W. Carswell, Morganton

Terry Clark, Granite Falls

Grady Conner, Hickory

Carolyn Cooper, Morganton

Charles E. Crawford, Hickory

Charles E. Crawford III, Conover

Warren Daniel, Morganton

Donald J. Deal, Kings Mountain

Gary DeWeese, Ellenboro

Everett Ellington, Cherryville

Jean Fitzsimmons, Hickory

Debbie Freeze, Mooresville

Edward Gibson, Cherryville

Cindy Goodhue, Lincolnton

Ric Goodhue, Lincolnton

Gregory Grayson, Mooresville

Espy Gregory, Statesville

Thelma Gregory, Statesville

Eddie Guy, Statesville

Darrell Harkey, Lincolnton

Paul Harmon, Statesville

Billy Harris, Lincolnton

Glenn “Dee” Harris, Hickory

Doyle Hatfield, Shelby

Tom Hawk, Lincolnton

Rick Heavner, Cherryville

Buddy Hemric, Statesville

Bob Hibbitts, Hickory

Dale Hinkle, Lincolnton

Earl Hoke, Hickory

Wayne Holden, Newland

Gene Hollifield, Newton

A. B. Homesley, Cherryville

Edward C. Homesley, Lincolnton

Tommy C. Houston, Morganton

Jerry Hoyle, Lenoir

Jerry Hudson, Cherryville

Paul E. Huskey, Lenoir

Vince Isenhour, Hickory

Leon Jackson, Shelby

Jack Johnson, Mooresville

George W. Jones, Ellenboro

Rodney Karnes, Lincolnton

Tony Keller, Hickory

Walt Land, Lenoir

Bill Ledford, Lincolnton

Don Lineberger, Kannapolis

Press Lingerfelt, Cherryville

Giles Martin, Iron Station

John L. Mauney, Cherryville

James Mayhew, Lincolnton

Jim Mayo, Sr., Gastonia

Roy McGalliard, Morganton

Robert H. Meek, Jr., Hickory

Norman L. Melton, Ellenboro

Ed Minich, Morganton

Mike Mooney, Claremont

David Moore, Cherryville

David Morgan, Mooresville

Jack Moss, Kings Mountain

Miles Moss, Lincolnton

J. R. Murdock, Cherryville

John M. Nielsen, Statesville

Kenneth Oakes, Lenoir

William E. Page, Taylorsville

Edward M. Parker, Cherryville

Alex Patton, Lincolnton

James Pitman, Spruce Pine

Jason L. Porter, Cherryville

Darrell Pugh, Vale

Dale Punch, Lincolnton

George Punch, Cherryville

James A. Putnam, Cherryville

Champ Ray, Valdese

Michael A. Reott, Sr., Lincolnton

William L. Rhew, Cherryville

Mike Rhyne, Ellenboro

Joe Rhyne, Jr., Ellenboro

Ken Robertson, Mooresville

Neil Larry Roger, Raleigh

Fred Lee Rowe, Jr., Conover

Henry Sachs, Hickory

T. L. Sain, Jr., Cherryville

Bennie Self, Iron Station

Don W. Sheets, Morganton

Bill Shillito, Newton

William Shuffler, Morganton

Kirkwood Shultz, Mooresville

John Sigmon, Hickory

Ray H. Smith, Cherryville

Billy P. Sneed, Cherryville

Leon Sneed, Cherryville

Kenneth Sparks, Spruce Pine

Paul Stephens, Stanley

Tom Stine, Hickory

James W. Strong, Crouse

Jim Sweezy, Hickory

John Thompson

Billy Walker, Lenoir

Reggie Walker, Cherryville

William Walker, Lawndale

R. Allen Wauters, Maiden

Tom Waskow, Lincolnton

Gary Whisnant, Hudson

Terry Whitener, Lincolnton

Jack Whitworth, Cherryville

Tom Williams, Sherrills Ford

Robert Willis, Cherryville

Robert Wise, Lincolnton

Philip Witherspoon, Kings Mountain

Bruce Wolfarth, Lenoir