President orders flags half-staff

President Obama has issued a proclamation directing the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims of Thursday’s deadly shootings at Fort Hood, Texas. Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson has ordered Kansas flags to follow suit.

“As the tragic and shocking details continue to unravel in Texas, we are keeping everyone at Fort Hood and their families in our prayers,” Parkinson said. “As Kansans well know, a fort isn’t just a facility, it’s a community.”

“I have directed the Kansas Adjutant General’s Department to make available any and every resource to Fort Hood that they may need,” he said. “This is a striking reminder of the bravery and courage military men and women demonstrate on our behalf each and every day.”

The flags are to remain at half-staff, by order of the president’s and governor’s proclamations, until sunset Tuesday. In Kansas, however, flags will remain at half-staff past the Tuesday mark because Parkinson previously ordered them lowered until Nov. 14, upon the death of former Kansas Gov. William H. Avery.