Under a bill that advanced out of the state House of Representatives Monday, Kentucky would designate a special flag to honor fallen U.S. military service members and veterans.
Should House Bill 406 become law, legislators say it would name the ‘Honor and Remember’ flag as the state’s official emblem in honor and remembrance of U.S. servicemen and women who died “in the line of duty” — including those killed while serving or as a result of serving, which the Honor and Remember flag official web site says includes death as a result of PTSD, exposure to Agent Orange, and other causes.
The bill, sponsored by state Representatives C. Ed Massey of Hebron and Kevin Bratcher of Louisville, passed the House 99-0 Monday and is now before the Senate.
According to a release, at least a dozen states have passed legislation similar to House Bill 406 to date.
State Representative Melinda Gibbons Prunty of Belton was one of several House members who stood and spoke in favor of the bill. Prunty said she was casting her vote in honor of Army Specialist Eric Bivins of Muhlenberg County, who took his own life 2017 after struggling with PTSD which was triggered by his experiences during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
George Lutz initiated the movement to create the Honor and Remember flag after his son, Army Private First Class George A. Lutz II of Virginia was killed in action in Fallujah, Iraq in 2005. The Honor and Remember web site calls the flag a “universally recognized symbol, of remembrance.
