Governor orders flags lowered

Gov. Bill Richardson said Friday he is ordering all flags flown at half-staff to honor and mourn U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Timothy Bowles.

Bowles, who was previously stationed at Cannon AFB, was killed last Sunday in eastern Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device (IED). The governor’s order directs that all flags be lowered in New Mexico from sunrise Monday to sunset Tuesday.

Bowles was was checking a school as part of a convoy when the IED exploded. He was born in Anchorage, Alaska, and grew up at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.

Bowles was a mechanic assigned to the 3rd Logistics Readiness Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. He deployed to Afghanistan in November.