Honoring Illinois' Fallen

The Department of Central Management Services has received notice from Governor JB Pritzker that all person or entities covered by the Illinois Flag Display Act are to fly the flags at half-staff in honor of:

Illinois Army National Guard, Private First Class Harry Jerele, who bravely served his country during World War II. After enduring capture by enemy forces, he tragically passed away as a prisoner of war at the Cabanatuan POW camp in December 1942. His remains, buried in a common grave, went unidentified for over eight decades.

Through the relentless efforts of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency, using anthropological and mitochondrial DNA analysis, Private First Class Jerele's remains have been positively identified 81 years after his death. He has finally returned home to his family and fellow Illinois National Guard members. On October 1, 2024, Private First Class Jerele was laid to rest with full military honors at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois.

Please lower the United States flags and the State flags

at all buildings occupied by your agency’s personnel from:

Sunrise until Sunset Friday, October 4, 2024

More information is available at https://www.illinois.gov/about/flag-honors.html