Governor Walz Orders Flags Flown at Half-Staff in Honor of Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg
In honor and remembrance of Warrant Officer Candidate Kort Miller Plantenberg, Governor Tim Walz has ordered all United States flags and Minnesota flags to be flown at half-staff at all state and federal buildings from sunrise until sunset on Thursday, December 12, 2019.
Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg died tragically in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crash on December 5, 2019. He will be remembered in a funeral mass at Saint John’s Abbey Church in Collegeville, Minnesota, on December 12, 2019.
Chief Warrant Officer Two Charles Nord and Chief Warrant Officer Two James Rogers will also be honored on the day of their interment.
The Governor’s proclamation reads as follows:
WHEREAS: Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg dedicated three years of exemplary service to the Minnesota National Guard; and
WHEREAS: Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg served with distinction on a nine-month deployment with the Minnesota National Guard’s Company C, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion in Kuwait, where the unit provided aerial medical evacuation; and
WHEREAS: Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg was a leader in the Minnesota National Guard as a warrant officer candidate, federal technician, and a member of the Minnesota National Guard biathlon team; and
WHEREAS: Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg devoted this life to service and love for family, friends, animals and nature, and a passion for flying; and
WHEREAS: Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg died tragically in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crash nine minutes after take-off from St. Cloud, Minnesota, on a routine maintenance flight; and
WHEREAS: Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg is survived by his parents, Steve and Laura Plantenberg of Avon; sister Isabel Plantenberg of Avon; grandmother Theresa Elliott of Savage; girlfriend Bryonna Anderson of Clovis; trusted canine companion Max; and countless friends and coworkers; and
WHEREAS: The State of Minnesota recognizes Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg for his dedicated service and ultimate sacrifice to our state and country. All thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and members of the Minnesota National Guard.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, TIM WALZ, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby order all United States flags and Minnesota flags to be flown at half-staff at all State and Federal buildings in Minnesota, from sunrise until sunset, on Thursday, December 12, 2019 in honor and remembrance of Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg.