American Flags and Kansas Flags to fly at half-staff Friday, August 19th in the state of Kansas in honor of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan Nichols.
CW2 Nichols, of Hays, was killed in action in Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The 31 year old was one of 30 brave Americans killed when their Chinook helicopter crashed after taking enemy fire.
American Flags and Oregon Flags to fly at half-staff Saturday, August 20th, in the state of Oregon in honor of Navy Hospitalman Ryley Gallinger-Long.
HN Gallinger-Long, 19, of Cornelius, Oregon, died August 11 while conducting a dismounted patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
American Flags and New Jersey Flags to fly at half-staff Friday, August 19th, in the state of New Jersey in honor of US Marine Corporal Nicholas S. Ott.
American Flags and Massachusetts Flags to fly at half-staff Saturday, August 20th, in the commonwealth of Massachusetts in honor of Specialist Nicholas P. Bernier.
American Flags and Iowa Flags to fly at half-staff Friday, August 19th in the state of Iowa in honor of Petty Officer Jon T. Tumilson.
Petty Officer Tumilson was killed in action Saturday, August 6, 2011, when a Taliban rocket-propelled grenade shot down a helicopter carrying 30 Americans, including Tumilson and 21 other Navy SEALs. Tumilson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Defense Meritorious Service Medal.
American Flags and Hawaii Flags to fly at half-staff Thursday, August 18th in the state of Hawaii in honor of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Christopher L. Camero.
American Flags and New York Flags to fly at half-staff Wednesday, August 17th, in the state of New York in honor of five Fort Drum soldiers who died in Kandahar province, Afghanistan on August 11.
According to the officer of the governor: Army Sergeant Edward J. Frank II, of Yonkers, NY, Army Specialist Jameel T. Freeman, of Baltimore, MD, Army Specialist Patrick L. Lay II, of Fletcher, NC, Army Private 1st Class Rueben J. Lopez, of Williams, CA, and Army Specialist Jordan M. Morris, of Stillwater, OK died of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.
The soldiers were all assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, stationed at Fort Drum, NY.
Hats off to the newest nation South Sudan as its flag was ceremonially raised for the first time yesterday. The flag-raising event, attended by African Union member heads of state, marked a historic turning point for the people of South Sudan. South Sudan was admitted to the AU as its newest member on July 27, 2011. South Sudan was admitted to the United Nations (UN) on July 14th, 2011 as the 193rd member.
American Flags and Arkansas Flags to fly at half-staff Tuesday, August 16th, in the state of Arkansas in honor of Air Force Tech Sergeant John W. Brown and Navy Master Chief Tommy Ratzlaff.
Tech. Sergeant Brown sacrificed his life when his CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down while on a mission to rescue a U.S. Army Ranger unit from enemy fire. A member of the U.S. Navy Seals Special Ops Assault Team, he was currently serving as a paramedic in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron in Pope Field, North Carolina.
Master Chief Ratzlaff was a highly decorated combat veteran of 12 deployments. Ratzlaff sacrificed his life when his CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down while on a mission to rescue a U.S. Army Ranger unit from enemy fire. He was a member of the U.S. Navy SEALs Special Ops Assault Team, out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
American Flags and Connecticut Flags to fly at half-staff in the state of Connecticut in honor of Sergeant Edward J. Frank II.