PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has ordered
all flags at Oregon public institutions to be flown at half-staff
until sunset on August 10 to honor firefighter Benjamin Charles
Sapper (21), who died in the line of duty on August 4.

Benjamin was a firefighter with the Rogue River-Siskiyou
National Forest Service.

Smokey Bear’s debut poster (above) was released on August 9, 1944, which is
considered his birthday. Overseen by the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention
Campaign, the first poster was illustrated by Albert Staehle. That same year,
Forest Service worker Rudy Wendelin became the full-time campaign artist;
he was considered Smokey Bear’s "manager" until he retired in 1973.   

Artist Albert Staehle