Memorial Planned for Maui Service Member, Vickers

By Wendy Osher

Hawaii flag. File photo by Wendy Osher.

Memorial services have been set for fallen Maui war hero, Kraig Vickers.  Vickers, 36, was among a group of 30 service members killed in Afghanistan on August 6 when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in the Wardak province.

Vickers was born August 11, 1974 in Kailua, Oahu.  He grew up in Kokomo, Maui, and graduated from Maui High School in 1992.

Vickers joined the Navy in 1996 and was a Senior Chief Explosive Ordinance Disposal Specialist attached to a Navy Seal Team Unit.

Vickers enlisted in the Navy in June of 1996 and was serving as a Expeditionary Warfare Specialist and Freefall Parachutist, according to the Department of Defense.  He was a highly decorated combat veteran with numerous awards, including four Bronze Star Medals with Valor, and two Purple Heart Medals.

Vickers’ obituary notice indicates he is survived by his wife, Nani; daughter, Makahea; son, Kala’i; daughter, Maile; unborn baby girl; parents, Robert “Bob” Sr. and Mary; brothers, Robert “Bob” Jr., Mark (Leidele), Vance (Liana); sister, Michelle (Curt) Yarborough; maternal grandmother, Alice George; paternal grandmother, Agnes Daniluck; father and mother-in-law, George and Annette Flores, Jr.; nieces and nephews.

Services will be held on Saturday, September 3, 2011 at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, Castle Theater.  Visitation is from 8 to 10 a.m.  Services begin at 10 a.m., with burial to follow at 1 p.m. at Valley Isle Memorial Park in Haiku.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to his wife and children at www.kraigvickers.com.  Condolences can be sent and viewed at www.ballardfamilymortuaries.com.