Office of the Governor > News > Press Releases > 2021 Press Releases > Gov. Justice orders all flags to be flown at half-staff tomorrow in honor of Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class Bernard Ramon Wimmer

Gov. Justice orders all flags to be flown at half-staff tomorrow in honor of Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class Bernard Ramon Wimmer

8/20/2021

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​ CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice has issued a proclamation, ordering that all United States and West Virginia flags on all State-owned facilities throughout West Virginia be displayed at half-staff, tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 21 in honor of Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class Bernard Ramon Wimmer of Princeton, WV; a fallen sailor who has been returned home to be laid to rest. Aug. 21 marks the day of memorial services celebrating his life. CLICK HERE TO VIEW PROCLAMATION Wimmer was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma and was aboard when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft, sustaining multiple torpedo hits and quickly capsizing, resulting in the deaths of 429 crewmen including Wimmer. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the WWII Victory Medal, and the American Defense Medal for his service. His remains were exhumed from a Honolulu cemetery in 2015 and identified using DNA and other analysis in 2020. His only living sibling, Betty Snider, and her husband Mason reside in Speedway, WV.

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