ROY Y SHINKAWA
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HONORED ON PANEL 4W, LINE 1 OF THE WALL

ROY YASUSHI SHINKAWA

WALL NAME

ROY Y SHINKAWA

PANEL / LINE

4W/1

DATE OF BIRTH

05/02/1947

CASUALTY PROVINCE

LZ

DATE OF CASUALTY

02/23/1971

HOME OF RECORD

HONOLULU

STATE

HI

BRANCH OF SERVICE

ARMY

RANK

WO

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Contact Details

REMEMBRANCES

LEFT FOR ROY YASUSHI SHINKAWA
POSTED ON 11.29.2023
POSTED BY: john fabris

honoring you.....

Remember to save for them a place inside of you, and save one backward glance when you are leaving, for the places they can no longer go...
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POSTED ON 5.31.2022
POSTED BY: Doug Wiggin

Memories of Roy this Memorial Day 2022

Roy and I met in flight school in 1970 and developed a friendship there. We were not deployed together when shipped to Viet Nam. I had several transfers during my tour, the last to the 173d during the Laos operation. On my first day with this new unit I ran into Roy. We talked for several hours that night. During that time Roy told me about getting married on leave and his wife having just had their little boy. Roy was so excited to meet his son. Roy had R&R scheduled so he would be home, in Hawaii, for his son's birth but his R&R was postponed because of the Laos offensive. The next day he was killed. I went through a lot of "stuff" while "in country," but the memory of Roy has affected me more than all the others. So, today, on memorial day, 51 years later, I wanted to say that I still think of him and hold him and his family in my heart. I am sure his son is as wonderful a person as Roy was. May you rest in peace my friend. Doug
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POSTED ON 2.6.2022
POSTED BY: Lucy Micik

Thank You

Dear WO Roy Shinkawa, Thank you for your service as an Utility/Observation Helicopter Pilot. Your 51st anniversary is soon, sad. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. Happy Valentine’s Day. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness, especially now. Rest in peace with the angels.
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POSTED ON 6.4.2017

Final Mission of WO1 Roy Y. Shinkawa

On February 23, 1971, the 223rd Combat Aviation Battalion was engaged in a combat operation in the Kingdom of Laos, approximately 20 miles west of Khe Sanh Airfield, RVN. The operation began at approximately 1100 hours and UH-1H troop carrying helicopters made 2 sorties each into the landing zone while being under continual cover of UH-1C helicopter gunships. The UH-1H helicopters had each made a long lift downwind, with a final approach along the long axis of a ridgeline, landing toward the east. The UH-1C gunships were in a covering orbit inside the traffic pattern of the UH-1H helicopters. A total of 38 sorties had been flown into the landing zone, with the UH-1H helicopters landing a single ship each time. The last UH-1H (tail number 67-19516) in the flight began his turn to base leg and on to final approach at a position approximately the center of the ridgeline. At the same time, a UH-1C gunship (tail number 65-09503) was beginning its turn to break away from its pass toward the landing zone. As the UH-1C was in its turn at approximately 40 to 50 degrees angle of bank, the UH-1H helicopter flew into the rotor system of the UH-1C from the left side. The UH-1C lost its rotor system, continued in a left turn, went inverted, and crashed nose low, exploding on impact. The UH-1H continued straight ahead, also losing its rotor system, and crashed in a nose low altitude, exploding on impact. The crew members and passengers (on the UH-1H) of both aircraft were killed on impact. The lost crew of the UH-1C included pilots CW2 James A. Miner and WO1 Roy Y. Shinkawa, crew chief SP4 Charles R. Hausherr, and gunner SP5 James E. Barton. The lost UH-1H crew was comprised of pilots 1LT Dennis C. Farris and 1LT Terry M. Usher, crew chief SP4 Terrence A. Ogata, and gunner SP4 John W. Bruin. The UH-1H additionally carried six ARVN passengers, names unknown, who also perished in the crash. [Taken from vhpa.org]
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POSTED ON 12.2.2014
POSTED BY: Dennis Lundstrom

Missions into Laos

I was a crewchief in the 173rd Assault Helicopter Co.. I flew with Roy on several missions into Laos. I think we had 23 pilots flying guns and Roy was one of my top pilots. The day of the midair was and is the darkest day of my life. We lost a lot of great brothers that day.
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