MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #189 ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff on Tues., March 28, 2023, in honor of Army Private First Class William LaVerne “Sonny” Simon, a recently identified World War II soldier whose remains have been identified and returned to Wisconsin for burial.

“A decorated military veteran, Private Simon served our state and country well, giving his life in defense of the values and freedoms we hold most dear,” said Gov. Evers. “We are incredibly grateful for the efforts of his family and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to bring him home so that he will finally be laid to rest in peace.”

A native of Middleton, Wisconsin, a Veteran of World War II, and a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Army Private First Class Simon was reported unaccounted for on Nov. 5, 1944, during the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest in Germany. His remains were designated “X-5767” and were interred in the Ardennes American Cemetery in 1950, with his name memorialized on the Netherlands American Cemetery Wall of the Missing, along with others missing from World War II. In April 2019, Army Private First Class Simon’s remains were sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory for analysis and identification, and because of the efforts of his surviving sister and brother and the work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Army Private First Class Simon’s remains have been positively identified.

Army Private First Class William LaVerne “Sonny” Simon will be buried with full military honors in Middleton, Wisconsin, on Tues., March 28, 2023. Army Private First Class Simon was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his actions at the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest.