Volunteers mark hundreds of veterans’ graves with flags on Memorial Day
Due to the pandemic, cemetery staff and a small group of volunteers are marking veterans’ graves in Union Grove with flags in honor of Memorial Day.
Dazia Cummings, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
You may notice that flags in Wisconsin are flying at half-staff on Thursday.
The gesture, ordered by Governor Tony Evers, is in memory of a former state representative who recently passed away. Here’s what you should know about the flags at half-staff and the Wisconsin citizen it honors:
Why are flags flying at half-mast in Wisconsin on Thursday?
Flags will fly at half-mast on Thursday in honor of James Soletski, a two-term representative from Wisconsin’s 88th congressional district.
According to a press release from the governor’s office, Soletski grew up in New Franken and attended high school in Green Bay before graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
After working in the energy industry for more than 20 years, Soletski, a Democrat, ran twice for the Wisconsin State Assembly and was elected to the Assembly from 2007 to 2011. During his time in the state legislature, he served as chairman of the Energy and Utilities Committee and vice-chairman of the Election and Campaign Reform Committee and the Consumer Protection Committee.
Soletski died on August 20 at the age of 75. A memorial service for him will be held in Green Bay on August 29, the same day the flags will be lowered.
“Rep. Soletski was a lifelong Wisconsinite and dedicated to serving others and the greater Green Bay area,” Evers said in the release. “Kathy and I extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and neighbors during this time of grief.”
How long will the flags fly at half-mast?
From sunrise to sunset on Thursday, flags will fly at half-mast.
Where are the flags flown at half-mast?
Under Evers’ order, the American flag and the Wisconsin state flag will fly at half-staff on all Wisconsin state buildings, grounds and military installations.
Why are the flags flying at half-mast?
U.S. flags typically fly at half-staff following national tragedies or the death of government officials, military personnel, or first responders. They also fly at half-staff on Memorial Day and other national observances.
“The flag of the United States shall fly at half-staff during a state or national mourning,” says USA.gov. “The President, the Governor of a State, or the Mayor of the District of Columbia may order flags to fly at half-staff.”
