Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 10, 1 October 2011 — Trustees honor fallen warrior [ARTICLE]

Trustees honor fallen warrior

AMaui son was killed in action Aug. 6 in Afghanistan when a Chinook helicopter was shot down, killing 30 American service members. Kraig Miehael Kaleolani Vickers, 36, was a Navy Senior Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist attached to a Navy SEAL unit sent to help rescue an Army Ranger detachment under enemy fire in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. The 1992 Maui High School graduate and wrestling and football standout, who joined the Navy in 1996, died five days short of his 37th birthday. Vickers was remembered at a memorial service on Maui on Sept. 3, as flags across the Islands llew at half staff by order of the Gover-

nor. Among other 'ohana, he leaves behind a wife, Nani, and three ehildren, Makahea Flores, Kala'i and Malie, with one more daughter yet to be born. On Sept. 1, the OHA Board of Trustees adopted a resolution in Vickers' memory, whieh was later presented to his family by OHA Maui Trustee Boyd Mossman. The resolution reads in part, "Hawaiians everywhere grieve at the loss of this brave warrior. Though he leaves a grieving family, they ean be proud of and cherish his memory and his achievements forever. Now he will meet ancestors and family who have gone before him, and though all Hawai'i and all people share in this great loss, his example will nevertheless live on forever for those who follow." ■