New Jersey Administrative Code › Title - EXECUTIVE ORDERS › Title 55 - CHRIS CHRISTIE › Section - Executive Order No. 269 (2021)

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
Governor Philip D. Murphy
Executive Order No. 269 (2021)
An Order that Flags Fly at Half-Staff in Honor of General Raymond Thomas Odierno
Issued: October 18, 2021.
Effective: October 18, 2021.
WHEREAS, General Raymond Thomas Odierno was a decorated servicemember and officer who tirelessly served his country in the United States Army for nearly four decades; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno was born on September 8, 1954 in Dover, New Jersey and grew up in
Rockaway Township; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno began his career with the Army as an artillery officer following his graduation from West Point in 1976; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno received a Master's degree in nuclear effects engineering from North Carolina State University in 1986 and a Master's degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in 1990; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno served honorably in the first Persian Gulf War and was also stationed in both Germany and Albania; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno rose to the rank of Brigadier General by 1999; and
WHEREAS, during the George W. Bush administration, General Odierno was the primary military adviser to Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno served three tours in Iraq during the Iraq War, beginning in 2003 as Commander of the 4th Infantry Division; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno's leadership was instrumental to the war effort, including when soldiers serving in his infantry division found and captured Saddam Hussein in 2003; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno served as Commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq from 2006 through 2008, when he became Commanding General of United States Forces-Iraq until 2010; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno ascended the ranks to become a four-star general and was named Chief of Staff of the Army in 2011; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno retired from the military in 2015 after 39 years of dedicated service; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno became chairman of USA Football in 2017, and worked tirelessly to promote youth football nationally; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno became chairman of the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers in 2017, and was selected as a member of North Carolina State University's board of trustees in July 2021; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno passed away on October 8, 2021 at the age of 67 following a brave battle with cancer; and
WHEREAS, General Odierno will be sorely missed by his family, including his wife, Linda, children, and grandchildren, his friends, his colleagues, his fellow servicemembers and officers, and the people of the United States whom he served faithfully for nearly four decades; and
WHEREAS, it is with great sorrow that we mourn General Odierno's passing and extend our deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and colleagues; and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to honor the exemplary character, outstanding achievements, and cherished memory of General Odierno, and to mark his passing;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, 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 Tuesday, October 19, 2021, in recognition and mourning of General Raymond Thomas Odierno.
2. This Order shall take effect immediately.