Flags to Fly Half-Mast July 25 for Marine Officer

TRENTON – In honor of U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Jason D. Mann, Acting Governor Joseph J. Roberts, Jr. signed the following Executive Order calling for the United States and New Jersey flags to fly at half-staff July 25.
The full text of the executive order is below.
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 108
WHEREAS, United States Marine Corps First Lieutenant Jason D. Mann was born and raised in Woodlynne, New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, First Lieutenant Mann graduated from Collingswood High School in Collingswood, New Jersey, and enlisted in the Marine Corps on November 3, 1997; and
WHEREAS, he attained the rank of staff sergeant before receiving a commission as a second lieutenant; and
WHEREAS, First Lieutenant Mann graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2005 with a degree in finance; and
WHEREAS, First Lieutenant Mann joined the officer ranks on May 6, 2005, graduated from his Marine Corps officer’s training class with top honors, and was trained as an intelligence officer; and
WHEREAS, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, headquartered in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, First Lieutenant Mann’s life took new shape in the Marine Corps, where he became more athletic and outgoing, a student of Arabic, a recognized leader, and devoted to the troops in his command; and
WHEREAS, he served in Iraq from September 2006 to May 2007; and
WHEREAS, First Lieutenant Mann returned to the Mideast to serve a second tour of duty and died in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, during a time of war; and
WHEREAS, First Lieutenant Mann was a decorated member of this Nation’s armed forces, having been awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, two Good Conduct Medals, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Navy Meirtorious Unit Commendation, and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons; and
WHEREAS, First Lieutenant Mann was a patriotic American and a dedicated Marine as well as a loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend, whose memory lives in the hearts of his family, friends, and fellow Marines; and
WHEREAS, First Lieutenant Mann’s love for his family and friends, his patriotism, and dedicated service to his country and his fellow Marines make it appropriate and fitting for the State of New Jersey to mourn and remember him, to mark his passing, and to honor his memory;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH J. ROBERTS, JR., Acting 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:
The flag of the United States of America and the flag of the State of New Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all State departments, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities during appropriate hours on Friday, July 25, 2008, in recognition and mourning for a son of New Jersey and a brave and loyal American, United States Marine Corps First Lieutenant Jason D. Mann.
This Order shall take effect immediately.