Flags at Half-Staff Today for the Passing of US Army Master Sergeant Nicholas Oresko

Below is Executive Order #142 as Gov. Chris Christie has ordered flags to fly at half-staff on all state buildings to mark the passing of a New Jersey veteran who had been the oldest living recipient of the Medal of Honor.

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 142

WHEREAS, United States Army Master Sergeant Nicholas Oresko was born on January 18, 1917, in Bayonne, New Jersey;

WHEREAS, Master Sergeant Oresko joined the United States Army

in March 1942; and WHEREAS, Master Sergeant Oresko arrived in France in September 1944, as a platoon sergeant in Company C, 302nd Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division; and

WHEREAS, on January 23, 1945, Master Sergeant Oresko single- handedly defeated two German bunkers, sustaining serious injuries, but refusing to be evacuated until his mission was successfully accomplished; and

WHEREAS, on October 30, 1945, President Harry Truman formally awarded Master Sergeant Oresko the Medal of Honor, the highest award bestowed upon members of the Armed Forces of the United States, in recognition of his heroic actions; and

WHEREAS, in January 2011, Master Sergeant Oresko became the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient; and

WHEREAS, Master Sergeant Oresko passed away on October 4, 2013, at the age of ninety-six; and

WHEREAS, Master Sergeant Oresko’s heroism, patriotism, and 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, CHRIS CHRISTIE, 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:

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1. Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:3-11, 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 from Thursday, October 10, 2013, through Thursday, October 17, 2013, in recognition and mourning of a brave and loyal American hero, United States Army Staff Master Sergeant Nicholas Oresko.

2. This Order shall take effect immediately.

Attest:

GIVEN, under my hand and seal this 9th day of October,

Two Thousand and Thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States, the Two Hundred and Thirty-Eighth.

/s/ Chris Christie

Governor

/s/ Charles B. McKenna

Chief Counsel to the Governor

Here is the song that Jim always plays for any fallen soldier or for anyone who lost their life on 9/11, it is Mstislav’s Rostropovich’s version of “Stars & Stripes Forever.”