Governor orders flags at half-staff Thursday for Army pilot

Gov. Neil Abercrombie ordered that all national and Hawaii flags at state offices and agencies and the Hawaii National Guard are to be flown at half-staff on Thursday in memory of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Don C. Viray, an Army helicopter pilot killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on April 19.

Viray, 25, was a native of Waipahu and a graduate of Roosevelt High School. 

A memorial service will be held Thursday at Borthwick Mortuary. Visitation is at 9 a.m. and a service is at 10 a.m. Viray will be laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.

"We honor Chief Warrant Officer 2 Viray and all of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice as a result of their duty to the nation and fellow soldiers," Abercrombie said in a news release Monday. "My deepest sympathies go out to CW2 Viray's family and friends."

Also killed in the helicopter crash were Chief Warrant Officer 2 Nicholas S. Johnson, 27, of San Diego; Spc. Dean R. Shaffer, 23, of Pekin, Ill.; and Spc. Chris J. Workman, 33, of Boise, Idaho. The soldiers were with A Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, out of Wheeler Army Airfield.