Flags At Half-Staff Monday For Woodbury Marine

Gov. Mark Dayton on Monday ordered flags to be flown at half-staff today in honor of a Woodbury Marine who died July 6 in California.

Sgt. Ian Williams McConnell, 24, a Hill-Murray graduate, was to be laid to rest Monday, July 18, according to multiple reports. He was to be eulogized at Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Stillwater and buried at Fort Snelling. A pastor at Ascension told the Associated Press that McConnell committed suicide.

In a proclamation, Gov. Mark Dayton said McConnell was “a dedicated member of the United States Marine Corps.” He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and was recently accepted into the Marine Corps’ Special Operations Command, according to the proclamation.

His parents are Elizabeth and Andy McConnell.

Dayton ordered all U.S. flags and Minnesota flags to be flown at half-staff at all state and federal buildings in Minnesota from sunrise until sunset on Monday, July 18.

Dayton’s proclamation says the state recognizes McConnell for “his dedicated service to and sacrifice for his fellow citizens of Minnesota and the United States of America with its deepest gratitude, and all thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and the entire community.”