RICHMOND, Va. — Governor Ralph Northam issued an order to fly the United States flag and Virginia's flag at half-staff on Friday for the 29-year-old soldier from Newport News who was killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Ian P. McLaughlin, 29, of Newport News, Virginia, was one of two soldiers killed on Saturday, January 11.
He was assigned to the 307th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Northam ordered the flags to fly half-staff on all state and local buildings and grounds in the Commonwealth of Virginia in respect and memory of McLaughlin.
The flags will be lowered at sunrise on Friday, January 24, 2020, and remain at half-staff until sunset.
McLaughlin is survived by his wife and four children.
Governor Ralph Northam issued the following statement after learning of the death of United States Army Staff Sergeant P. Ian McLaughlin:
“I am deeply saddened by the news that Staff Sergeant Ian P. McLaughlin, of Newport News, was killed January 11, 2020, along with Private First Class Miguel A. Villalon of Joliet, Illinois, when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
Their loss is a reminder that our men and women in uniform across the globe continue to do dangerous work in pursuit of peace.
Pam and I send our deepest condolences to the families and friends of these men, as well as to their fellow soldiers.
I know I speak on behalf of all Virginians when I say that we are deeply grateful for their service and indebted to them for their sacrifice.”
