Acting Secretary of the Navy of the Navy Sean J. Stackley has ordered the "National Ensign of the United States" to be flown at half-staff from dawn to dusk June 27 on all Navy and Marine Corps buildings and installations as well as on all naval vessels.
The order comes in honor of the seven sailors who died on board the guided-missile destroyer Fitzgerald on June 17 in a collision with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan.
The date was picked to correspond with memorials planned for the sailors by the U.S. Seventh Fleet in Japan. The honors were approved today.
"The United States Navy and Marine Corps Family continues to mourn the loss of our fellow shipmates," a Navy release said. "As the Fleet strives to work through these trying times, we come together to honor the heroic efforts of our brave sailors and international partners and support those currently standing the watch."
Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.
