CNN’s Iraq Hummer For Sale at B-J

CNN Iraq Hummer

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A Hummer used by CNN to cover the Iraq War will be auctioned off later this month at the famed Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale , Ariz. , with proceeds to go to a related charity.

All of the sale price will go to the Fischer House Foundation, a group that provides lodging for injured military personnel and their families. There are currently 35 Fischer Houses in 16 states, and two in Europe.

The Hummer, named Warrior One, was first purchased by CNN in 1993 in Kuwait , and used to cover the Iraq War. When it was on duty, the CNN used the Warrior One while it was embedded with the Marines in 2003, including when they came under heavy fire in April, 2003.

More recently, it’s been featured on the TLC show Overhaulin’. The show’s crew turned the war-coverage Hummer into an airbrushed tribute to the troops, with images of journalists and military men and women. The show also gave the vehicle several upgrades, including a six-inch suspension lift, 37-inch BFGoodrich tires, and one-off Foose wheels. Inside, there’s a 7500-watt audio system, plus a DVD system with six LCD monitors. A 454-cubic inch V-8 crate engine, converted from diesel to gasoline, provides the power.

“The crew from Overhaulin’ created a memorable tribute to military personnel who serve during times of war and the journalists who cover them,” said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide.

But some who follow the media’s coverage of Iraq view this as a shrewd move on CNN’s part to make good, especially with public perception at a low point after the network’s regrettable decision to air an allegedly terrorist-recorded video of American troops being shot at in Iraq . In the outrage that followed, some businesses boycotted CNN, including ten Stony Creek Inns in the Midwest . Others, including California Rep. and long-shot presidential candidate Duncan Hunter, reportedly called for CNN to be stripped of its privilege to be ‘embedded’ with U.S. troops in Iraq .

The Warrior One will be auctioned by Barrett-Jackson on January 20, as lot number 1281. For more information, see www.barrett-jackson.com.

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