Governor Asa Hutchinson has directed that the state flag of Arkansas fly at half-staff from sunrise, Thursday, December 5, 2019, to sunset, Friday, December 6, 2019, in tribute to the memory of United States Navy Storekeeper 1st Class John W. Craig of Monroe, Arkansas.

Petty Officer Craig was aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Japanese fighter pilots torpedoed the ship, which capsized. Petty Officer Craig and 428 other crewmen perished. DNA analysis allowed the identification of Petty Officer Craig?s remains, which had been buried in a cemetery in Hawaii. After 78 years, his body has been returned to Arkansas, where he will be buried in his final resting place at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock.

The people of Arkansas are grateful for the sacrifice of Petty Officer Craig and the surviving members of his family.

The Governor declared December 6, 2019 as John W. Craig Memorial Day in Arkansas.