Posted March 31, 2020 11:31 am by Comments

By Tactical Life

Members of the National Guard administer tests for COVID-19.

The American military suffered its first coronavirus (COVID-19) casualty Saturday. A member of the New Jersey Army National Guard passed away after testing positive for COVID-19. The soldier, identified as Army Capt. Douglas Linn Hickok, had been hospitalized since March 21.

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Hickok, a father of four, was a drilling guardsman in Medical Command and a civilian physician assistant, the NJ National Guard Tweeted.

“Today is a sad day for the Department of Defense as we have lost our first American service member – active, reserve or Guard – to Coronavirus,” said Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in a press release. “This is a stinging loss for our military community, and our condolences go out to his family, friends, civilian co-workers and the entire National Guard community. The news of this loss strengthens our resolve to work ever more closely with our interagency partners to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

The Department of Defense adopted a dramatic mitigation plan to protect service members, beginning in January. Measures included mandating social distancing, termination of certain work and training activities and …Read the Rest

Source:: Tactical Life

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