Flags ordered lowered as Schofield soldier buried

PLAINWELL, Mich. >> Gov. Rick Snyder has ordered U.S. flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of a 23-year-old Schofield Barracks Army private from Plainwell killed in Afghanistan’s Kunar province.

The order is for Thursday, the day of Thomas Allers’ funeral.

The military says Allers was killed May 23 along with three others by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.

A funeral service for Allers is Thursday morning at the Plainwell High School auditorium. The public is invited to line the streets for a procession after the service.

Allers has received many awards, including the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.