(FRANKFORT, Ky.)–Kentucky will pause to remember one of its own on Thursday as flags across the commonwealth fly at half-staff to honor a soldier whose journey home took more than seven decades.
Governor Andy Beshear has directed all state facilities to lower their flags from dawn to dusk on August 14th, paying tribute to U.S. Army Private First Class Rodger E. Fields of Busy, Kentucky – a Korean War veteran whose remains were finally identified this past May after 75 years.
Fields served with Company D of the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division when he made the ultimate sacrifice on December 1, 1950. He fell during the brutal Battle of Jangjin Reservoir, known to American forces as the Chosin Reservoir – one of the Korean War’s most harrowing engagements fought in the unforgiving mountains of North Korea.
The fallen soldier will be laid to rest with full military honors on Thursday at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery South East in Hyden, finally returning to the Kentucky soil he died defending.
“We encourage every Kentuckian – whether individual citizens, business owners, community organizations, or government agencies – to join us in honoring Private First Class Fields,” Governor Beshear stated, calling for a unified show of respect across the state.
For those seeking updates on official flag protocols, the governor’s office maintains current information at governor.ky.gov/flag-status.
The homecoming represents not just the end of one family’s long wait, but a reminder of the thousands who served in the “Forgotten War” and the ongoing efforts to bring every service member home.