A member of the New Jersey Army National Guard has died of the coronavirus, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Monday night.
U.S. Army Capt. Douglas Linn Hickok died on Saturday, seven days after being hospitalized in Pennsylvania.
Army Capt. Douglas Linn Hickok, a member of the New Jersey @USNationalGuard, died Saturday after a weeklong battle with the coronavirus, service officials announced Monday. He is the first service member to die from the virus. https://t.co/kOexhIfKDN
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) March 31, 2020
Hickok is the first U.S. service member to die of the coronavirus, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said.
“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,” Esper said in a statement.
Hickok lived in Pennsylvania, but was originally from Jackson, N.J., and served as a drilling guardsman and physician’s assistant, according to Gov. Phil Murphy.
Murphy told reporters he spoke with Hickok’s wife and two of their children.
"Captain Hickok is prominent in our thoughts, as is every New Jerseyan we have lost. Each of their lives was precious, and I know their memories will be precious,” Murphy said.
General Joseph L. Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau, was among those offering condolences.
“Our thoughts are with his family & friends. All of us are likely to know people directly affected by this virus in the coming weeks,” Lengyel tweeted.
Murphy announced earlier Monday that New Jersey has at least 16,636 coronavirus cases including 198 deaths. Pennsylvania has more than 4,000 cases and at least 49 deaths.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
