(This story was updated to add new information.)
Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered flags around Iowa to fly at half-staff on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Flags will remain lowered from sunrise to sunset at the Capitol Complex as well as at all public buildings, grounds and facilities in Iowa. Individuals, businesses, schools and counties are encouraged to lower flags for the same timeframe.
Why are flags at half-staff in Iowa?
Flags in Iowa are at half-staff to honor an Iowan who was killed in World War II in 1944, according to the governor’s office. U.S. Army Second Lt. Blaine Wilcox, from Pacific Junction, died during a bombing mission in Germany. He was 26 years old.
Why was Second Lt. Blaine Wilcox buried now?
A burial service for Wilcox with full military honors was scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 7, 81 years after he was killed in action. The service and internment will take place at the Glenwood Cemetery in southwest Iowa.
While serving in a bombing mission on Oct. 7, 1944, 26-year-old Wilcox was one of nine crew members who died after their aircraft was hit and crashed near the village of Kattenhof, Germany. After years of investigating the accident, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recovered Wilcox’s remains in 2022. He was eventually identified through an anthropological and dental analysis, according to the DPAA.
“I doubted it and I was afraid it was a scam, so I kept putting it off and putting it off and they kept notifying me — it wasn’t until finally this spring that I more or less agreed to follow through with it as you know how these scams are nowadays,” Wilcox’s niece Lois Aistrope told KMA News. “We were all just shocked and I couldn’t believe that after all these years they’d find my uncle.”
What’s the difference between half-mast and half-staff for flags?
Half-mast is used when the flag is flown from a flagpole, typically referring to a ship mast or similar structures, according to Federal Flags. Half-mast means the flag is flown two-thirds up between the top and bottom of the flagstaff.
Half-staff is the term used for flags on land, particularly in the United States. Half-staff describes a flag that is raised halfway, between the top and bottom of the flagpole.
When the American flag is flown at half-staff, it conveys a message of respect and mourning. Federal Flags says this custom is most often observed following the death of a government official, military personnel or in response to a national tragedy.
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Why are flags at half-staff today? Iowa flags lowered for Oct. 7 for World War II veteran.
Reporting by Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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