Passing of RADM Linder

I just learned that Rear Admiral (Retired) James Benjamin Linder, of Oro Valley, Arizona and formerly of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, died at 4:21 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7, 2009. He was born on October 13, 1925, in Osceola, Iowa, to Merlin D. "Sarge" and Gracia I. McKay Linder. He graduated from Mount Pleasant High School and enlisted in the US Navy on May 18, 1943, in Des Moines, Iowa.

He is shown here receiving an award from US Ambassador Len Unger in Taipei.

Rear Admiral Linder was the last Commander of the US Taiwan Defense Command, arriving in 1977. He supervised and executed the withdrawal of all US military personnel and dependents from the island in 1979. Before retiring, he served under the CINCPAC from May to July, 1979.

Admiral Linder's obituary can be found here.