A procession honors Lt. Serena “Dug” Wileman, 31, as her remains were transported to Oak Harbor on Monday night. (Photo provided by Naval Air Station Whidbey Island)

A procession honors Lt. Serena “Dug” Wileman, 31, as her remains were transported to Oak Harbor on Monday night. (Photo provided by Naval Air Station Whidbey Island)

Inslee orders flags flown at half-staff in honor of Whidbey pilots

Naval aviators Lt. Serena “Dug” Wileman and Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay “Miley” Evans crashed on Oct. 15.

WHIDBEY ISLAND — Gov. Jay Inslee ordered flags flown at half-staff at state offices on Thursday in honor of the two Navy pilots from Whidbey Island who died in a crash last month.

On Oct. 15, Lt. Serena “Dug” Wileman, 31, and Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay “Miley” Evans, 31, crashed in a Boeing-made EA-18G Growler from Electronic Attack Squadron 130 in remote, steep and heavily wooded terrain about 30 miles west of Yakima. The squadron, based at the station north of Oak Harbor, is known as the “Zappers.”

A procession on Monday greeted Wileman as her remains journeyed to the Wallin-Stucky Funeral Home in Oak Harbor. She was returning from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, home of the U.S. military’s largest mortuary.

Evans was set to return to Anacortes this week. Her family asked for her arrival to be private, according to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

Evans and Wileman had recently returned from a 9-month deployment with their squadron aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Flags were set to remain at half-staff at state agency facilities until close of business or sunset Thursday.

“I am deeply saddened by the deaths of LCDR Lyndsay Evans, 31, and Lt. Serena Wileman, 31, and direct that Washington state and United States flags at all state agency facilities be lowered to half-staff in their memory on Thursday, November 7, 2024,” Inslee wrote in a memo Wednesday.

Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; X: @GoldsteinStreet.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

The new Crucible Brewing owners Johanna Watson-Andresen and Erik Andresen inside the south Everett brewery on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
South Everett brewery, set to close, finds lifeline in new owners

The husband and wife who bought Crucible Brewing went on some of their first dates there.

The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it's one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo council passes budget with deficit, hopes for new revenue

Proponents said safeguards were in place to make future changes. Detractors called it “irresponsible.”

Andy Bronson/ The Herald 

Everett mayor Ray Stephenson looks over the city on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2015 in Everett, Wa. Stephanson sees  Utah’s “housing first” model – dealing with homelessness first before tackling related issues – is one Everett and Snohomish County should adopt.

Local:issuesStephanson

Shot on: 1/5/16
Economic Alliance taps former Everett mayor as CEO

Ray Stephanson will serve as the interim leader of the Snohomish County group.

Molbak's Garden + Home in Woodinville, Washington will close on Jan. 28. (Photo courtesy of Molbak's)
After tumultuous year, Molbak’s is being demolished in Woodinville

The beloved garden store closed in January. And a fundraising initiative to revitalize the space fell short.

Lane Scott Phipps depicted with an AK-47 tattoo going down the side of his face. (Snohomish County Superior Court)
Man gets 28 years in Lynnwood kidnapping case

Prosecutors also alleged Lane Phipps shot at police officers, but a jury found him not guilty of first-degree assault charges.

The sun sets beyond the the Evergreen Branch of the Everett Public Library as a person returns some books on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘A brutal hit’: Everett library cuts will lead to reduced hours, staffing

The cuts come as the city plans to reduce the library’s budget by 12% in 2025.

The Snohomish County Jail is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
First bills drop ahead of WA’s 2025 legislative session

Permanent standard time, immigration policies and fentanyl penalties were among the proposals pre-filed Monday.

Federal agents seized many pounds of meth and heroin, along with thousands of suspected fentanyl pills, at a 10-acre property east of Arlington in mid-December 2020. (U.S. Attorney's Office) 20201223
Final member of Snohomish County drug ring sentenced

An operation centered on a compound in Arlington in 2020 turned up huge amounts of meth, fentanyl and heroin.

Two people walk a dog along the Snohomish River on Monday, Dec. 2 in Snohomish, Washington. A regional trail, set to be constructed nearby, will connect Snohomish and Everett. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Future trail could connect Everett to Snohomish

Construction is slated to start in 2027. Eventually, the trail could connect Everett and Monroe.

Teslas charging in Victorville, Calif., on March 11. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and one of President-elect Donald Trump’s biggest supporters, has said the government should eliminate all subsidies for electric vehicles. (Lauren Justice / The New York Times)
Once a must for wealthy Seattle-area liberals, Teslas feel Elon backlash

For many, Tesla has changed from a brand associated with climate action and innovation to something “much more divisive.”

Lynnwood
Man, 24, killed in shed fire near Lynnwood

The man was living in the shed in the 20500 block of Larch Way when it caught fire Monday morning.

Lynn Lichtenberg and Claudia Douglass read a chemical test strip that is used to measure pollutants in water while conducting stormwater monitoring at the Port of Everett waterfront Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett water pollution facility’s new permit aims to protect salmon

The new state permit incorporated additional requirements after urging from local environmental groups.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.