Bio, Nakagawa, Gordon R.

Captain Gordon Ross Nakagawa, USN (ret), age 76, a career naval officer,

passed away surrounded by his family at Westland House on August 24,

2011, following a courageous battle with cancer. Captain Nakagawa was a

long-time resident of Marina, CA.

He was born June 13, 1935 in Auburn, California, to the late Bunny and

Harriett Nakagawa. He is survived by his loving wife Jeanne, and their

three children, - Gregory, Kathleen, and Steven; three grandchildren -

Ryan, Graham, and Tait; and his loyal lab Maddy.

Captain Nakagawa graduated from the University of California at Berkeley

with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, and the

Naval Postgraduate School with an Master of Science degree in Electrical

Engineering, where he also returned to teach Weapons Systems in

Operations Research.

Captain Nakagawa's distinguished career as a naval officer included

flying 185 combat missions in the A-6 intruder during four combat

deployments to Vietnam. In December 1972 his aircraft was struck by

enemy fire, resulting in his being detained as a Prisoner of War in

Hanoi. Captain Nakagawa also was Commanding Officer of the Naval Air

Station Pt. Mugu, coordinated all major design competitions for Naval

Aviation at Naval Air Systems Command, and in his final active duty

assignment, was Chair for Tactical Analysis at Naval Postgraduate School

Monterey.

During his service, Captain Nakagawa was awarded two Legions of Merit,

two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, two Meritorious Service Medals,

Distinguished Marksman (Rifle) Medal, Distinguished Pistol Medal, POW

Medal and various other campaign, service and individual awards.

He was elected to the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Board

serving 8 1/2 years, and is a Board member Emeritus of Leadership

Monterey Peninsula. He was granted a Leadership Recognition Award from

the California Association of Leadership Programs. He is a 2000

California State University Monterey Bay Distinguished Fellow, a 2004

Monterey County Veteran of the Year, and 2006 Marina Citizen of the

Year.

Celebration of Life services will be held Saturday, September 17 at 1:00

p.m. at the Fort Ord Military Community Chapel, Bldg 4280, General Jim

Moore Blvd. Chaplain Louis Rosa will preside.

In lieu of flowers, memorial funds have been established in his name for

The Marina Foundation and the Central Coast Cemetery Foundation.

The Marina Foundation

P.O. Box 324

Marina, CA 93933

http://www.themarinafoundation.org/donate_2011.html

Central Coast Veterans Cemetery Foundation

P.O.Box 849

Marina, CA 93933

http://ccvcf.com/

We would like to thank all of the doctors and staff of Community

Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula and the Westland House for their

compassion and support of the family during Gordon's fight with cancer.

He was born in Auburn, CA and at age six when World War II broke out, his family, like so many other Japanese-American families were rounded up and shipped to the remote, wind swept lands of Tule Lake, CA to live in an internment camp. They soon were relocated to a farm labor camp in Caldwell, Idaho. He excelled at school, graduating tops in his class. He met his wife to be, Jeanne. in grade school. He entered the University of California at Berkeley and became the Battalion Commander of the Naval ROTC class. He was commissioned as an Ensign in 1958 and became a Naval Aviator in 1959, earning his gold wings. He had many assignments in the navy, but when the war broke out in Vietnam, he was to fly the A-6 intruder. Flying off aircraft carriers, he was shot down on his 185th mission, captured and imprisoned at the Hoa Loa prison in Hanoi, known to all as the Hanoi Hilton. He was freed in 1973 and soon regained his flight status. He returned to Vietnam flying protective cover for the evacuation of Saigon in 1975.

In his program are two quotes that meant a great deal to him.. the first by John F. Kennedy speaking at the US Naval Academy, "...any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy.' "

Another he remembered scratched on a wall in the Hoa Loa prison by an unknown POW, "Freedom has a taste to those who fight and almost die for it that the protected shall never know."

His son, Steven Nakagawa is now a Captain in the Navy and also flew the A-6. He told an interesting story. He went through the tail numbers of all the A-6s still flying some years ago and discovered eleven that both he and his father had flown. Then he told of touring the 'boneyard' of aircraft stored in the dry desert of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ. Walking through the A-6s there, he found the one he was looking for. A generation apart, both had flown her. Said he, "Good old girl, you served two generations of Nakagawas".

Steven had arranged a special event for those in attendance. The squadron at Lemoore Naval Air Station had just returned from deployment in the sand box and the mechanics gave up their Saturday with their families to ready two for a flyover. At precisely 3:30 PM, two FA-18s flew over the crowd in a salute to Gordon. They set off about a hundred car alarms. It was awesome.

Harold K. Strunk, Captain

United States Navy Retired