Governor Has Been Busy Honoring the Fallen
On just his second day in office — Dec. 7, 2010 — Gov. Neil Abercrombie all state and U.S. flags at state and county agencies be flown at half-staff.
It was in remembrance of the Pearl Harbor attack, of course — “to honor American patriots who died as a result of their service.”
A governor ordering flags lowered on important dates is nothing new. Abercrombie also did so for Memorial Day and Sept. 11 remembrances this year.
Moreover, he ordered flags lowered for the passing of revered government figures, like former Big Island Mayor and U.S. District Judge .
But, Abercrombie has also ordered flags lowered for lesser-known figures, many of them former lawmakers belonging to the Democratic Party of Hawaii who have not been in the public mind for decades. In these cases and others, the governor has stated that the honorees made significant contributions to the state.
All told, Abercrombie has ordered flags to fly half-staff 16 times during his 10 months in office.
Three Times In One Week
Just last week, flags were lowered to mark the passing of three people:
• Former legislator and First Circuit Court
• Former legislator
• Former legislator — and swimming legend —
In addition to Sept. 11, flags were also lowered last month for Senior Chief Petty Officer , who was killed Aug. 6 in Afghanistan.
A spokeswoman for the administration said the governor’s reasons for ordering flags lowered are explained in press releases and ceremonial proclamations.
In the case of Vickers, 36, he was a 1992 Maui High School graduate.
“We honor Senior Chief Petty Officer Vickers and all of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice as a result of their duty to the nation and fellow soldiers,” Abercrombie stated in a press release.
The emphasizes his swimming career:
[Nakama’s] most famous accomplishment is becoming the first person to swim completely across the 27-mile Kaiwi Channel from Mokolai to Oahu; Former Hawaii State Representative Keo Nakama completed the accomplishment in 15.5 hours at the age of 41 in 1961.
The proclamation is signed by Abercrombie and Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz.
Abercrombie Contemporaries
The governor, 73, has lived in Hawaii since just after statehood, and he knows, has known or known of an awful lot of people.
Most of the people for whom flags were lowered were in their senior years when they passed. Nakama, for example, was , and .
Abercrombie recognizes accomplishments that enriched the lives of many.
Former legislator (born 1922) served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in World War II, helped found the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii and rendered “equitable and fair decisions” as a Circuit Court judge.
Kato, Naito and Nakama were Democrats. So was Yamashiro. Same for former Big Isle Mayor , who Abercrombie — a Democrat — also honored.
Of course, there are many more Democrats in Hawaii than Republicans. And the governor honored Republicans Miho and King.
Since taking office, Abercrombie has issued for the recently departed. Nine had flags lowered in their honor, and all were either veterans, elected officials or judges — sometimes all three.
(Others honored by the governor with a ceremonial proclamation — but not a flag lowering — include a kumu hula, a kahu, a Maori monarch, a public radio executive and “the first Filipino-American to be in the United States”.)
Abercrombie also ordered flags lowered for in May; for the , shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in January; and on the passing of the of World War I in March.
All three orders came from President Barack Obama.
