American flags were lowered yesterday, following a proclamation from President Joseph R. Biden, Jr calling for the mark of respect upon the death of Robert Joseph Dole.

Dole, “a statesman like few in our history and a war hero among the greatest of the Greatest Generation,” the president’s proclamation said in part, died Sunday, December 5.

Dole, 98, was a former US Senator, a member of the US House of Representatives, and three-time presidential candidate.

He was also a World War II veteran, having served in the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division.

President Biden’s proclamation called for flags to be lowered on Sunday, and to remain lowered until sunset Thursday, December 9.

Accordingly, since no flag should fly higher than the US flag, all other flags — including state, municipal, corporate, or otherwise — should also be lowered during this same duration of time.

Hook & Ladder firefighters lowered the Main Street flag Sunday evening.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance

The president last week had already issued a proclamation ahead of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Flags were to be flown at half-staff from sunrise until sunset on December 7.

Tuesday will mark the 80th anniversary of the attacks by the Imperial Japanese Navy on US Armed Forces at Pearl Harbor and other locations in Hawaii. The annual remembrance honors the 2,403 service members and civilians killed in that attack, which led to the United States entering World War II.

In his proclamation issued December 3, Biden called December 7, 1941 “a day that still lives in infamy 80 years later.

“As we mark National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we honor the patriots who perished, commemorate the valor of all those who defended our Nation, and recommit ourselves to carrying forth the ensuing peace and reconciliation that brought a better future for our world. Today, we give thanks to the Greatest Generation, who guided our Nation through some of our darkest moments and laid the foundations of an international system that has transformed former adversaries into allies,” the proclamation continued.

Biden’s proclamation recalled his visit a decade ago to the USS Arizona Memorial.

“To this day, beads of oil still rise to the surface of the water — metaphorical ‘Black Tears’ shed for those lost in the attack. Reading those names etched in marble was a mournful reminder of the sacrifices and the human cost of protecting our Nation and the ideals this great country represents. Our Nation remains forever indebted to all those who gave their last full measure of devotion eight decades ago. We will never forget those who perished, and we will always honor our sacred obligation to care for our service members, veterans, and their families, caregivers, and survivors,” his statement continued.

Biden encouraged Americans to “reflect on the courage shown by our brave warriors that day and remember their sacrifices. I ask us all to give sincere thanks and appreciation to the survivors of that unthinkable day.”

The President asked for flags to be lowered, the proclamation further stated, “in honor of those American patriots who died as a result of their service at Pearl Harbor.”

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Associate Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.