NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The governor has ordered that all U.S. and Virginia flags are to be flown at half staff in honor of a fallen soldier.
Ian McLaughlin, 29, of Newport News and Miguel Villalon from Joliet, Illinois both died when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon. The Taliban took responsibility for the attack.
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Both soldiers were assigned to 307th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Gov. Ralph Northam issued the order Thursday according to Capitol Police. Flags will fly at half staff from sunrise to sunset across the Commonwealth.
More than 2,400 U.S. service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Last year was the deadliest for U.S. service members since 2014, with 23 American troops killed, even as Washington engaged in peace talks with the Taliban.