Following a request by the Adjutant General of Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear has ordered flags at all state buildings to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, June 19, in honor of a Kentucky National Guard soldier who died on June 12, 2021.

Sgt. 1st Class Derrick Pool died June 12 while on active duty and will be interred on June 19 in the Woodlawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Paducah, Kentucky. A veteran of the Iraq War, Pool served 15 years with the Kentucky Army National Guard and had been serving as the readiness noncommissioned officer for the 438th Military Police Company out of Murray, Kentucky.

The U.S. Flag Code provides that a governor may lower the U.S. flag in the event of the death of a member of the Armed Forces from that state who dies while serving on active duty. All individuals, businesses, organizations, and government agencies are encouraged to join in this tribute.