Frankfort, KY: Governor Ernie Fletcher has directed that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff in honor of Specialist Jonathan A. Hughes, 21, of Lebanon Kentucky.  Spec. Hughes lost his life on Saturday, March 19th in Iraq.

“I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the family of Special Hughes.  He paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving his country in Iraq,” said Governor Ernie Fletcher.  “We have truly lost a valiant man, one of the commonwealth’s finest.”

Hughes was a Kentucky Army National Guardsman assigned to Bravo Battery 1st Battalion 623rd Field Artillery, based in Campbellsville, KY.  Hughes was killed when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb during an escort patrol for a convoy.

Flags will remain at half-staff throughout the state until sunset on the day of Specialist Hughes’ funeral.  “First Lady Glenna Fletcher and I will keep the Hughes family, and all the soldiers in Iraq, in our prayers during this difficult time,” continued Governor Fletcher.

In a separate incident over the weekend, three Kentucky Army National Guard soldiers were wounded during an ambush southeast of Baghdad.  All three are now in military hospitals in Germany where they are listed in stable condition.

There are currently 1,600 Kentucky National Guard soldiers and airmen mobilized in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle, or participating in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.

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