Governor Orders Flags at Half-Staff in Memory of Oregon Soldier

Funeral services for PFC Ryan J. Hill of Keizer will be held on Friday at 10:00 AM at the Peoples Church, 4500 Lancaster Drive NE in Salem.

(SALEM) - Governor Kulongoski has ordered all flags at public institutions be flown at half-staff on Friday, in memory of Private First Class Ryan J. Hill of Keizer. 20-year old Ryan Hill died January 20th in Baghdad, Iraq.

He was assigned to the Army’s 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt Germany. “Ryan faithfully served our nation with unsurpassed courage and honor,” Governor Kulongoski said. “He was deeply committed to serving his country, his state and his community and we all are thankful to his family and friends who contributed to his love of country and passion for service.”

Pfc. Hill became the 49th soldier with Oregon ties to have died in the Iraq war.

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Osotan February 8, 2007 12:07 am (Pacific time)

Brian Browning, U.S.Army, from Astoria, was reported to have been killed in action in Iraq on Tuesday, 6 Jan., the 80th from Oregon to die there.

Mary Cruise February 7, 2007 7:54 am (Pacific time)

God Bless your Hero an every Hero that dies for his country...Please respect the choice they made to become Heros .. an let it be at that. Dont make it a political thing.. that is not fair to the Hero or his family!!

Albert Marnell February 5, 2007 5:24 am (Pacific time)

Rick, Ryan Hill represents something to me. I can not speak for anyone else. To me he was a child used by the propaganda machine of the U.S. government. 18,19,20 year olds, and yes 21 year olds are still very wet behind the ears. They have no idea how things really work and easily are caught up in emotional responses to things and are easily manipulated and brainwashed. 5 years before he died, Ryan was only 15. Do you think that it is possible for a mature discerning mind to be able to be formed by age 20? I say, "No it is not possible in any realistic way." He is the victim of MSM and an American public that does not want to learn about the dark side of the United States.

Anonymous February 3, 2007 10:13 pm (Pacific time)

Very sad, our flag seems to always be at half staff these days. State national guard now does the notifications for soldiers families who live in OR regardless if they are active army, marines etc,, as well as the funeral honor guard detail. Possibly too much for FT Lewis to keep up with.

Osotan February 3, 2007 7:22 pm (Pacific time)

who: please refer to "top comments" feature. Sgt. Fennerty not forgotten.

who February 3, 2007 3:08 pm (Pacific time)

Yes but appears the other troop from Ptld, Sean Patrick Fennerty, didnt seem to receive as much media attention as Hill. maybe just salem perception?

Mr. and Mrs. America February 3, 2007 12:50 am (Pacific time)

comment by Rick not a reflection of our opinion, they are All important,Iraqi's and afghan's too., by themselves as individuals and as a total of those who have already died.,ours was meant with respect to all those families crushed with this war. thank you

Mr. and Mrs. America February 2, 2007 11:13 pm (Pacific time)

3,097 from our families have died in the war on terror as of 2 Feb., 2007

Rick February 2, 2007 10:00 pm (Pacific time)

Why so much fuss over this soldier in particular?

respectful observer; February 2, 2007 8:00 pm (Pacific time)

and to say I want these wars to stop is an understatement.,"We The People" can change tomorrow by thinking, researching and acting now.,without a future of flags lowered to half mast., or keep on waiting till the Oregon Iraq-Afghanistan "Wall" has over 700 names inscribed as killed in action.,they've done this before., and they will do it again.,unless or until we stop them. I am a disabled Vietnam vet who walked point .,the Paris peace talks talks lasted over eight months and hundreds of U.S. killed and thousands wounded in this interim, and tens of thousands of Vietnamese while the government did their dance. They got us there fast enough.,need I say more?

respectful observer; February 2, 2007 7:32 pm (Pacific time)

todays Oregonian article about a bill presented to the state of Washington governors office to limit the proximity of the Kansas baptist church Extremists and their ilk protesting at funerals of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, has gone through in Olympia. I'd gladly vote for or introduce a bill like it myself if needed, to Gov. Kulongoski. Thank you for this forum.,and I for one would like these "church" people to meet their maker as soon as possible!, to reign in heaven of course..,or preach in hell if they want to!

Osotan; February 2, 2007 4:08 am (Pacific time)

L/cpl. Adam Emul,U.S.M.C., was the 88th person from Oregon-S.W. Washington to be killed since the war on terror began in 2001.

S.LaMarche February 2, 2007 3:45 am (Pacific time)

L/cpl.Adam Q. Emul, U.S.M.C, a recent graduate of Hudsons Bay High School, he was 19 years old. He is listed today as having been killed in action in Iraq. I'm sorry, Damnit, I'm sorry. Mr president, can you hear us calling?

Albert Marnell February 1, 2007 9:58 am (Pacific time)

Ryan Hill was just a kid. He was subjected to the propaganda of the Bush Regime Machine. His death makes me real angry. Governor Kulongoski knows that he did not serve the nation. He unknowingly served Halliburton, Kellog, Brown and Root, Blackwater, Bechtel Group Inc., Fluor Corp., Louis Berger Group Inc., Parsons Corp., Computer Sciences Corp., etc. Even before we went into Iraq, the U.S. Agency for International Development secretly asked U.S. companies to submit bids for reconstruction. This is why I say, Democrat or Republican, they are all basically the same and are beholden to large corporate and banking interests. All polititians have one main goal...to keep their positons and the benefits that they get from it. If you are so altruistic, go to Bangladesh and become another Mother Theresa who only had two pair of slippers and a few items of other clothing when she died.

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Governor Orders Flags at Half-Staff in Memory of Oregon Soldier

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