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We Honor and Remember:
Pfc. LeRoy DeRonde III
Hometown: Jersey City, New Jersey. Age: 22 years old. Died: May 27, 2012 in Operation Enduring Freedom. Unit: Assigned to 125th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. Birth: Jul. 18, 1989 Pfc. Leroy Deronde III, 22, Jersey City, New Jersey died May 27, in Chak-E Warkdak District, Afghanistan, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces. He was assigned to the 125th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss Texas. PFC LeRoy DeRonde , III, of Jersey City was killed in action in the Wardack District, central Afghanistan on Sunday, May 27, 2012. He was 22. Born and raised in Jersey City, LeRoy served in the US Army where he was assigned to the 125th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. LeRoy was predeceased by his beloved mother, Elizabeth "Littie" (nee Owen) DeRonde in 2005. He is survived by his father, LeRoy DeRonde, Jr.; his sister, Jennifer DeRonde; brother Harold DeRonde and a host of loving aunts, uncles, cousins and friends that are too numerous to mention. Visitation will be on Thursday and Friday, June 7th and 8th, from 5-9p at McLaughlin Funeral Home, 625 Pavonia Avenue, Jersey City . Interment will be at the 911/Veterans Memorial Section of Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington, NJ on Saturday at 11am. Burial: Holy Cross Cemetery North Arlington Bergen County New Jersey, USA_ Gov. Christie issued a statement this morning expressing his condolences on the death of Pfc. Leroy DeRonde III, the Jersey City soldier who was killed in Afghanistan on May 27. The Defense Department identified DeRonde late Saturday afternoon as one of the two soldiers killed during an enemy attack on their unit. "I was saddened to learn of Pfc. DeRonde’s death last week while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan,'' Christie said in his statement. "It is a terrible tragedy to lose such a young man in service to our state and country. On behalf of the State of New Jersey, Mary Pat and I extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to Pfc. DeRonde’s family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.'' The governor's office is in the process of issuing an Executive Order to lower state flags to half-staff in honor of DeRonde’s service and sacrifice, officials said. DeRonde, 22, joined the Army in January 2011. After basic training, DeRonde’s family told the Star-Ledger, they saw him off at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. — as one of a handful of graduates to have been immediately promoted to a Private E2. "He’d been so quiet, but he knew everyone, they knew his name," his half-sister, Jennifer Owen, told the paper. "In six months, he really came out of his shell." |
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EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 96
WHEREAS, United States Army Private First Class Leroy DeRonde III grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey;
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde entered the United States Army in January 2011; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde was assigned to F Company, 125th Brigade Support Battalion attached to 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde was an honorable and courageous young man who loved his country and the military; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde tragically lost his life in Chak-E Wardak District, Afghanistan, while supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde was a dedicated soldier as well as a loving son and brother, whose memory lives in the hearts of his family, friends, and fellow soldiers; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde’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:
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 Friday, June 8, 2012, in recognition and
mourning of a brave and loyal American hero, United States Army Private First Class Leroy DeRonde III.
2. This Order shall take effect immediately.
GIVEN, under my hand and seal this 6th day of June, Two Thousand and Twelve, and of the Independence of the United States, the Two Hundred and Thirty-Sixth.
/s/Chris Christie
Governor
WHEREAS, United States Army Private First Class Leroy DeRonde III grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey;
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde entered the United States Army in January 2011; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde was assigned to F Company, 125th Brigade Support Battalion attached to 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde was an honorable and courageous young man who loved his country and the military; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde tragically lost his life in Chak-E Wardak District, Afghanistan, while supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde was a dedicated soldier as well as a loving son and brother, whose memory lives in the hearts of his family, friends, and fellow soldiers; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class DeRonde’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:
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 Friday, June 8, 2012, in recognition and
mourning of a brave and loyal American hero, United States Army Private First Class Leroy DeRonde III.
2. This Order shall take effect immediately.
GIVEN, under my hand and seal this 6th day of June, Two Thousand and Twelve, and of the Independence of the United States, the Two Hundred and Thirty-Sixth.
/s/Chris Christie
Governor
