Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered flags in Iowa to half-staff tomorrow (Saturday) from sunrise to sunset for the funeral of a Lake City World War II soldier. U.S. Army Pfc. Merl Wayne Holm was killed in action at the age of 22 in Papua New Guinea on Thanksgiving Day in 1942 while defending an Allied communications center in the region. His remains were buried in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines and finally identified earlier this year by the Department of Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency. Holm had been awarded the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart for his service and will be buried with full military honors at the Lake City Cemetery. Holm’s funeral begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Woodlawn Christian Church. Flags will be at half-staff on the State Capitol Building, flag displays in the Capitol Complex, and all public buildings, grounds, and facilities throughout the state. Individual businesses, schools, municipalities, counties, and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff as a sign of respect.
