April 27, 2012
Flags lowered to honor war casualty
Under a proclamation signed by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, the United States flag and the Illinois flag are to be at half-staff at all State of Illinois facilities in honor of an Illinois soldier killed in a helicopter crash earlier this month in Afghanistan.
Flags are to be flown at half-staff from sunrise, Saturday, April 28, until sunset, Monday, April 30, in honor of U.S. Army Sgt. Dean R. Shaffer.
Reports said Shaffer, 23, of Peoria, formerly of Pekin, was one of four soldiers killed April 19 when the Black Hawk helicopter they were in crashed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The helicopter was en route to rescue several Afghan police officers wounded in a suicide bombing at the time of the crash, according to reports. All four soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii.
Shaffer was a 2007 graduate of Pekin Community High School.