Ivey’s order calls for flags to be lowered to half-staff for 30 days to mark Carter’s service to the nation. “A native of Plains, Georgia, approximately 40 miles from the Alabama state line, Jimmy Carter first served his country as a lieutenant in the United States Navy. After his father died, he left military service to return home to take over the family peanut farm. In 1962, Carter entered politics running successfully for the Georgia State Senate.