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Gov. Evers Orders Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of Staff Sgt. Ralph H. Bode Who Lost His Life in WWII

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #241 ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in honor of U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Ralph H. Bode, who lost his life in World War II and whose remains have been identified and returned to Wisconsin for burial.

“Staff Sergeant Bode selflessly gave his life fighting for the freedoms of his fellow Americans and our allies abroad,” said Gov. Evers. “It is an honor to be able to help welcome him back to Wisconsin after 80 years, where he can finally be laid to rest in his hometown of Racine.”

A native of Racine, Staff Sgt. Bode was a member of the 700th Bombardment Squadron, 445th Bombardment Group, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force in the European Theater during World War II. On Sept. 27, 1944, Staff Sgt. Bode’s aircraft was shot down while on a bombing mission over Kassel, Germany, and a finding of death was issued by the U.S. War Department on Sept. 28, 1945. In 1951, the American Graves Registration Command recovered remains from the crash site and interred them at the Luxembourg American Cemetery in Luxembourg and the North African American Cemetery in Tunisia. Staff Sgt. Bode’s remains were positively identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on Dec. 26, 2023.

Staff Sgt. Bode will be buried on Fri., Sept. 27, 2024, in Racine.

Executive Order #241 will be in effect from sunrise to sunset on Fri., Sept. 27, 2024, and is available here: [link removed]

An online version of this release is available here: [link removed]

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This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of the State of Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, which includes the Wisconsin Air and Army National Guard, Wisconsin Emergency Management, Wisconsin State Emergency Operations Center and the Office of Emergency Communications. • 2400 Wright Street • Madison, WI 53708-8111 • 800-335-5147. Visit us on the web at: [link removed] GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]