BATTLE CREEK, MI (WTVB)- Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags across the state to be lowered to half-staff on Friday, to honor Staff Sergeant Troy Smith Knutson-Collins, a Battle Creek native who tragically lost his life during a U.S. Army training exercise in Lithuania. The 28-year-old soldier, who joined the Army in 2018, was among four soldiers killed when their M88A2 Hercules vehicle sank in a peat bog during a recovery mission at Pabradė training ground in March .
Whitmer said “Sergeant Knutson-Collins represented the best of Michigan as he served our nation in uniform, A fierce friend and proud son, he leaves behind a legacy we should all strive to live up to.”
The lowering of flags coincides with Knutson-Collins’ funeral on Friday, a tribute to his sacrifice and a reminder of the cost of service. His legacy endures in the hearts of his family, friends, fellow soldiers, and the Battle Creek community.
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