Roland was the eldest of six children born to Robert and Elizabeth Pineau. A musical young man, he played accordian, drums and piano. He started working at age 15 to earn money to take flying lessons. After finishing his junior year of high school, he convinced his parents to let him join the United States Navy. His career spanned 21 years. He served on eight different aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean, Japan and Guam during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He married at age 30 and was a father to 2 step-children. He was on his third tour of duty in Vietnam. In the spring of 1967, Roland could have retired from the Navy, but he volunteered to return to Vietnam on the USS Oriskany, where he was placed in charge of avionics. He was the chief aviation technician on an E-1B Tracer sent on a combat mission over the Gulf of Tonkin on October 8, 1967. Roland and the four other men on the twin turboprop completed their mission and refueled for a new assignment at an airfield in ChuLai on the coast of South Vietnam. They took off in terrible conditions with monsoon winds and no visibility. They were ordered back to the USS Oriskany, but lost radio and radar contact on their return to the carrier. The weather thwarted attempts at an extensive search and rescue. Two days later, a search helicopter located the wreckage on a cliff ledge of Hoi Mit Mountain. The hazardous terrain and enemy in the area prevented a ground party from going to the site. His remains were found in November 2006 and returned to his family after identification. He was buried with full military services in October 2007. Roland is honored and remembered on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall on Panel 27E - Line 75. (Bio written by Sue)
Roland was the eldest of six children born to Robert and Elizabeth Pineau. A musical young man, he played accordian, drums and piano. He started working at age 15 to earn money to take flying lessons. After finishing his junior year of high school, he convinced his parents to let him join the United States Navy. His career spanned 21 years. He served on eight different aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean, Japan and Guam during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He married at age 30 and was a father to 2 step-children. He was on his third tour of duty in Vietnam. In the spring of 1967, Roland could have retired from the Navy, but he volunteered to return to Vietnam on the USS Oriskany, where he was placed in charge of avionics. He was the chief aviation technician on an E-1B Tracer sent on a combat mission over the Gulf of Tonkin on October 8, 1967. Roland and the four other men on the twin turboprop completed their mission and refueled for a new assignment at an airfield in ChuLai on the coast of South Vietnam. They took off in terrible conditions with monsoon winds and no visibility. They were ordered back to the USS Oriskany, but lost radio and radar contact on their return to the carrier. The weather thwarted attempts at an extensive search and rescue. Two days later, a search helicopter located the wreckage on a cliff ledge of Hoi Mit Mountain. The hazardous terrain and enemy in the area prevented a ground party from going to the site. His remains were found in November 2006 and returned to his family after identification. He was buried with full military services in October 2007. Roland is honored and remembered on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall on Panel 27E - Line 75. (Bio written by Sue)
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