HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Gov. Steve Bullock has ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff on Tuesday in honor of a Bataan Death March survivor who died last month.
Ben Steele died Sept. 25 at age 98.
Steele was captured by Japanese soldiers in the Philippines in 1942. He said he kept his sanity while in captivity by sketching scenes of his home in Montana.
When he returned home, he taught art at Eastern Montana College.
Bullock said in his proclamation Monday that Steele was a Montanan of immeasurable character who portrayed the courage of his generation with a sketchbook and a joyful laugh.
Bullock says Steele taught us to never give up on the importance of inspiring future generations after overcoming indescribable adversity.
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