MCDONOUGH – A McDonough family was forced to endure the last full measure of devotion when they received word that their son, who was fighting in Iraq, had been killed in action.

Staff Sergeant John Linde, 30, along with three other soldiers based at Fort Drum in the 10th Mountain Division, was killed when a road side bomb detonated near their convoy Nov. 5. The men were killed in the northern Kirkuk Province when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near their Humvee.

Linde was an 11-year veteran on his second tour of Iraq and had been awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star among other medals.

“He was making a career out it of it. He had just recently re-enlisted,” said Linde’s father, John W. Linde of McDonough.

Linde had just returned to Iraq in September for a 16-month deployment.