Republican congressman Walter B Jones, known for renaming the fries in government cafeterias to ‘freedom fries’ dead at 76.  

His office confirmed that he died on February 10th, his 76th birthday. He was being cared for in a hospice in Greenville, North Carolina, due to his hip he had broken a month ago. After his fall on January 14th, his health declined, his office said.  

“Congressman Jones will be remembered for his honesty, faith, and integrity,” said a statement from his office. “He was never afraid to take a principled stand. He known for his independence, and widely admired across the political spectrum. Some may not have agreed with him, but all recognized that he did what the thought was right.  

Jones, along with a number of Republicans and Democrats, supported President George W Bush’s decision to use military force in Iraq to bring down Saddam Hussein, its leader. Bush had justified the invasion by claiming Saddam Hussein had hidden and constructed weapons of mass destruction. However, no weapons were ever found in Iraq, revealing that the war was justified using incorrect information.  

At that time, Jones had met with families who grieved the loss of their loved ones who were killed in the war, which causes him to have a change of heart, and called for the troops to return home in 2005. He had spoken on multiple occasions about how he deeply regretted supporting the war.  

“I have signed over 12,000 letters to families and extended families who’ve lost loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan wars,” Jones told NPR in 2017. “That was, for me, asking God to forgive me for my mistake.”