(WLUK) — Flags in Wisconsin will fly at half-staff Monday to commemorate a soldier killed in World War II.

Governor Tony Evers issued the flag order in memory of Sergeant Jack Hohlfeld, whose remains were identified in May.

“Sergeant Jack Hohlfeld was a decorated military hero who selflessly answered the call to duty and gave his life in defense of the values ​​and freedoms we hold most dear as a nation,” Evers said in a press release. “It is our responsibility to ensure that no hero is left behind, no matter how many years have passed, and it is an honor to be able to welcome Sergeant Hohlfeld home to be laid to rest.”

Hohlfeld was born in Vernon County and grew up in La Crosse and Trempealeau counties. He enlisted in the Army in 1938 and was assigned to the Philippines. On December 8, 1941 – one day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii – his unit surrendered after being overwhelmed in battle by Japanese forces. He survived the Bataan Death March and was held in the Japanese prisoner of war camp at Cabanatuan. He died there on December 26, 1942. He was buried in a common grave with five other soldiers. In 1948, his remains were transferred to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Hohlfeld received the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the WWII POW Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal with Foreign Service clasp, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with a Bronze Service Star, the WWII Victory Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation with two bronze oak leaf clusters, the Honorable Service Lapel Button – World War II, the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, and the Philippine Defense Ribbon with the Bronze Star.

Hohlfeld will be buried in La Crosse on Monday.