Flags lowered to honor war casualty

The United States flag and the Illinois flag will be at half-staff at all State of Illinois facilities beginning Thursday, Dec. 13, in honor of an Illinois man killed while serving in the military in the war in Iraq, under a proclamation signed by Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich.

The flags will be at half-staff from sunrise Thursday to sunset Saturday, Dec. 15, in honor of U.S. Army Pvt. Dewayne L. White. Reports indicate that White, 27, of Country Club Hills, was one of three soldiers from Fort Campbell, Ky., killed in a roadside blast from an improvised explosive device Dec. 4 near Bayji, Iraq. White enlisted in November 2004. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team.

At the recommendation of a suburban Barrington man, Blagojevich in December 2004 issued a proclamation also directing all State of Illinois facilities to lower their flags to half-staff on the day of a funeral for any Illinois National Guardsman killed in combat. The flags are then raised again to full-staff the following day.

In September, Blagojevich signed legislation requiring all state agencies to fly the U.S. flag, the Illinois flag, and appropriate military flags at half-staff for the death of an Illinois resident killed by hostile fire while a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, or for a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty.