(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad today has ordered all flags in Iowa be flown at half-staff from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thursday, August 1, 2013, in honor of Iowa native, retired Col. George "Bud" Day.

Day's funeral will be on Thursday, August 1, 2013 in Shalimar, Florida and he will be buried at Barrancas National Cemetery at Pensacola Naval Air Station.

"Bud Day loved this country and its people, and we are all better off as a result of his service," said Gov. Branstad. "Bud Day was a hero to all, a friend to many and will be an inspiration to generations in the future. I hope all Iowans will join me in recognizing this man and his extraordinary, unique career and contributions to his country."

Col. George "Bud" Day, was born in Sioux City, Iowa on Feb. 24, 1925. He dropped out of high school in 1942 to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and served in the Pacific theater. Following World War II, Day earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Morningside College and a law degree from the University of South Dakota. In 1950, Day received an officer's commission as a 2^nd Lt. in Company M, 133^rd Infantry Regiment, Iowa Army National Guard in Sioux City. He transferred to the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1951, where he completed pilot training and entered the active duty U.S. Air Force for combat in the Korean War. Day remained on active duty with the Air Force following Korea and served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. While flying a combat mission over North Vietnam, Day was shot down Aug. 26, 1967, captured by the North Vietnamese Army and spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war. During his captivity in North Vietnam, Day and U.S. Sen. John McCain were cellmates at the Plantation and Hanoi Hilton prison camps. Day was released from captivity in March 1973 and retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1977.

Upon military retirement he moved to Florida, where he began a law practice that focused on advocating for veterans' issues. Over the course of his 35-year military career, Day earned more than 70 awards for combat, including the nation's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in Vietnam. At the time of his death, Day was one of the nation's most highly-decorated service members.

"I was honored to call Bud a friend," said Gov. Branstad. "We had the opportunity to hunt together, even as recently as 2010, and I always enjoyed our time together. He will be missed."

Flags will be at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex, and upon all public buildings, grounds, and facilities throughout the state. Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.

SPRINGFIELD, IL (07/28/2013)(readMedia)-- Six Illinois National Guard Soldiers graduated the South Dakota Army National Guard's Accelerated Officer Candidate School July 26 at Mount Rushmore, S.D.

"The Accelerated Officer Candidate School is a high paced, intense officer training course, which takes enlisted Soldiers and shapes them into the commissioned leaders of tomorrow's National Guard," said Col. Tom Weiss of Sherman, the commander of the 129th Regiment, Regional Training Institute (RTI) in Springfield, Ill. "Each of these Soldiers have proved themselves ready to be part of the next generation of leaders in the Illinois Army National Guard."

Officer Candidates Dustin Anderson of Preemption, Robert Boney of Columbia, Amanda Bruni of Troy, Jonathan Logemann of Chicago, Jonathan Miller of Chicago and Garrett Nevious of Marion were selected to attend the accelerated class in South Dakota through the Illinois National Guard's Pre-Officer Candidate School program at the 129th Regiment, Regional Training Institute (RTI) in Springfield, Ill.

The graduates were among 52 officer candidates from nearly 20 states and the U.S. territory of Guam hoping to earn a commission in the Army National Guard Officer Corps.

The six graduates will be among the 34 Illinois Army National Guard officer candidates from this year's accelerated and traditional OCS classes to become second lieutenants at the 129th RTI's officer commissioning ceremony to be held Aug. 25 at the Springfield High School in Springfield, Ill.

The accelerated OCS program is an eight-week fulltime training program where as the traditional OCS program is a one-weekend-a-month for 18 months program plus two, two-week long training sessions.

The Illinois National Guard's OCS program has commissioned nearly 140 officers since 2010.

FORT MCCOY, WIS. (07/22/2013)(readMedia)-- Soldiers assigned to the Combat Observation and Lasing Team, "Colt" from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), based in Urbana, Ill., conduct live-fire training exercises with the 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery Regiment (2-123 FA), headquartered in Milan, Ill., during the units' annual training at Fort McCoy, Wis., in July.

The two units, who are assigned to different brigades within the Illinois Army National Guard, rarely have the chance to work together despite having complimentary missions. The "Colt" team specializes in accurately identifying enemy locations and calling for indirect fire on enemy targets. The 2-123 FA uses its new M777 howitzers to provide indirect fire support on enemy targets. This training provided both units the opportunity to build proficiency in skills they couldn't accomplish without working together.

"We don't have organic 155mm howitzers, specifically the M777 howitzer in our brigade. This opportunity allows us to call for indirect fire and observe rounds from that weapon system," said Master Sgt. Nathaniel McIntyre of Willisville, Ill., the brigade fires noncommissioned officer with the 33rd IBCT, who also serves as the joint fires observer manager for the Illinois Army National Guard. "We're also helping their battalion train on how their fire direction center is going to work on the digital net to process tactical fire direction orders," said McIntyre.

The Soldiers of the "Colt" team are able to improve their skills using the M1200 Armored Knight, an armored vehicle that provides the "Colt" team with digital communications and targeting technology to quickly and accurately bring indirect fire onto an enemy.

"This training provides us a chance to get out in the field and do our job and work with the digital systems," said Sgt. William McNeese, of Bloomington, Ill., a forward observer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd IBCT. "It's also a great chance to train up our lower enlisted and increase their proficiency," said McNeece.

Captions:

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Charlie Helmholt, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ Sgt. William McNeese, of Bloomington, Ill., a forward observer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) observes artillery fire from the top of a M1200 Armored Knight vehicle during annual training at Fort McCoy, Wis., July 18. Soldiers from the 33rd IBCT's combat observation and lasing team or "Colt" identified enemy targets during the training exercise and then called for artillery fire from an Illinois Army National Guard field artillery battalion.

U.S. Maj. Nathan Westby, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment /Sgt. William McNeese, of Bloomington, Ill., a forward observer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) points at targets from the observation turret on top of the M1200 Armored Knight vehicle during annual training at Fort McCoy, Wis., July 18. The Soldiers from the 33rd IBCT's combat observation and lasing team or "Colt" conducted artillery live-fire training with 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery Regiment during the units annual training in Wisconsin.

FORT MCCOY, WIS. (07/22/2013)(readMedia)-- Members of the Illinois Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment (1-106th) out of Decatur, Ill., travelled to Wisconsin with their UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters to conduct training, and participate in the annual joint service and multi-national disaster response exercise dubbed 'Patriot', taking place July 13-27.

The Patriot exercise simulates the occurrence of natural disasters. The exercise is comprised of three separate tornadoes and several terrorists attack scenarios. This combination of conditions is designed to overwhelm the first responder teams prompting a National Guard emergency response.

"What is great for us is the designers allow us to custom design the specific training that we would like to focus on, and they then build the scenario and work in that type of training," said Maj. Dennis Huffman from Heyworth, Ill., the executive officer of the 106th.

Huffman said although the unit helped design some elements of the training, the unit will not know exactly what and when it will take place.

"One of our biggest training values comes from not knowing the mission, being able as a unit to plan the route and then fly over unknown terrain and into unknown landing zones," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Adam D. Kellerman of Pinckneyville, Ill., a pilot with Company A, 1-106th.

Kellerman said there is a lot the unit can do at Fort McCoy that they cannot do in Illinois.

"We can get in the corridors they have up here and fly the terrain, right on the tops of trees through the valleys, and that is something that the crews don't get to experience every day," said Kellerman.

While at Fort McCoy the unit will use its time training new pilots and crew as well as conducting missions to support other units outside of Patriot.

"We are here as an aviation support element, supporting the Air Force and the Wisconsin National Guard to facilitate these operations," said Huffman. "We are then also able to jump over and support other Illinois units training here."

Blackhawk aircraft and crews are a resource to Illinois and its neighboring states if an emergency should arise.

"In addition to being able to move a large amount of personnel and or equipment, aviation can provide critical reconnaissance and surveillance of sites, in case of fire, flooding or hazardous material conditions that may prevent ground access," said Capt. Chris Lempke of Bloomington, Ill., commander of Company A.

Sgt. Charles L. Venegoni a firefighter and former Marine from Arnold, Mo., is now a crew chief with Company A, and is using this training to get familiar with the Blackhawk.

Crew chiefs act as a peripheral sight for the pilots and are also responsible for what is in the back of the aircraft, be it passengers or equipment, said Venegoni.

"I was a crew chief with the Marines also, on the CH-53, but it's nice to have this kind of training so that I can get adapted to the Blackhawk," said Venegoni.

From the pilots and crew of the aircraft, to unit planning and support, this training allows the unit to accomplish multiple tasks during a single exercise.

"We are out here for a great training opportunity, an opportunity that will allow us to get to and maintain readiness level one, which means that we are fully mission capable," said Kellerman.