Patrick Hanley, son of Secretary of the Commonwealth Kate Hanley, was due to arrive at the Bethesda Military Hospital yesterday or today, following a severe injury suffered as a member of the U.S. Military in Iraq last Sunday.
According to reports, he lost an arm and sustained a serious, but apparently not permanent, head injury when an improvised explosive devise (IUD) hit his jeep, killing two other soldiers in the jeep. Hanley had been slated for redeployment back to Ft. Riley in the U.S. in mid-April, having served in Iraq slightly over a year. Following his injury, he was taken to a military hospital in Germany prior to his transfer to Bethesda. According to a statement by the chief of staff to Gov. Tim Kaine, “Assessments of the head injury indicate that there may be no permanent brain damage.” Hanley is a graduate of Falls Church High School. Kate Hanley is the former chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and once was a history teacher at George Mason High School in Falls Church.