Gov. Evers orders flags at half-staff to honor identified WWII veteran

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Gov. Tony Evers has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on Tuesday, March 28 in honor of Army Private First Class William LaVerne "Sonny" Simon, a World War II veteran whose remains were recently identified and returned to his home state for burial.

Private Simon, a native of Middleton, served with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division during World War II. He was reported unaccounted for on November 5, 1944, during the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest in Germany.

His remains, designated as "X-5767," were interred in the Ardennes American Cemetery in 1950, and his name was memorialized on the Netherlands American Cemetery Wall of the Missing.

In April 2019, Simon's remains were sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory for analysis and identification. His remains have now been positively identified.

Gov. Evers said, "We are incredibly grateful for the efforts of his family and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to bring him home so that he will finally be laid to rest in peace."

Simon will be buried with full military honors in Middleton on March 28. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his actions during the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest. The flags will remain at half-staff from sunrise to sunset as per Executive Order #189.