GOVERNOR CORZINE ORDERS FLAGS TO FLY AT HALF-STAFF TO HONOR UNITED STATES STAFF SERGEANT JOHN D. LINDE

TRENTON– In honor of United States Army Staff Sergeant John D. Linde, Governor Jon S. Corzine signed the following Executive Order calling for the United States and New Jersey flags to fly at half-staff on Wednesday, November 28.

The full text of the executive order is below.

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 88

            WHEREAS, United States Army Staff Sergeant John D. Linde was born in Secaucus, New Jersey and lived in Weehawken, New Jersey; and 

            WHEREAS, Sergeant Linde volunteered for enlistment in the United States Army, after his graduation from Union Hill High School, Union City, New Jersey, where he starred as a wrestler; and

            WHEREAS, Sergeant Linde volunteered for re-enlistment in the United States Army following the September 11, 2001 attacks on this country; and

            WHEREAS Sergeant Linde served with distinction as a proud member of the United States Army’s fabled 10^th Mountain Division in Fort Drum, New York, and in dangerous and demanding overseas assignments in Korea, Bosnia, and Iraq; and

            WHEREAS, Sergeant Linde was a veteran soldier and an experienced non-commissioned officer; and

            WHEREAS, Sergeant Linde consistently demonstrated the finest values of the United States military, while leading the many soldiers who served under his command with honor, courage, and compassion; and

            WHEREAS, Sergeant Linde has earned some of our nation’s highest military honors, including the Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Badge, and the Bronze Star; and

            WHEREAS, Sergeant Linde was killed in the vicinity of  Kirkuk, Iraq, during a time of war while serving as a member of the United States Army’s 1^st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1^st Brigade Combat Team, 10^th Mountain Division; and

            WHEREAS, Sergeant Linde was a dedicated soldier as well as a loving husband, father, son, brother, son-in-law, and friend, whose memory lives in the hearts of his family and fellow soldiers; and

            WHEREAS, Sergeant Linde’s patriotism and dedicated service to his country and his fellow soldiers make it appropriate and fitting for the State of New Jersey to remember him and his family, to mark his passing, and to honor his memory;

            NOW, THEREFORE, I, JON S. CORZINE, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. The flag of the United States of America and the flag of New Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all State departments, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities during appropriate hours on Wednesday, November 28, 2007, in recognition and mourning of a brave and loyal American, United States Army Staff Sergeant John D. Linde.
   
   
2. This Order shall take effect immediately.

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Photos and audio and video clips from Governor Corzine's public events are available in the Governor's Newsroom section on the State of New Jersey web page, http://www.nj.gov/governor/news/