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Federal magistrate,
Vietnam vet
Young dies

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By Treena Shapiro
Star-Bulletin

Former federal magistrate Thomas Hin Tung Young was always very serious about his job, but when out with friends he was just one of the guys, said his friend and accountant Warren Chee.

Young and Chee met when they were in the Hawaii Army National Guard. In 1968, they were activated and sent to Long Binh, Vietnam, where they spent almost a year, Chee said.

During the war, Young, a captain, was stationed in the judge advocate general's office, where he received attention as the successful defense attorney for Capt. Robert B. Rheault, one of six Green Berets accused of murdering a double agent.

Young, 62, died Nov. 21 in Honolulu.

A St. Louis High School and University of Hawaii graduate, Young earned his law degree at Drake Law School in 1963. He enlisted in the U.S. Army the following year and served as a JAG officer in the Ryukus Islands. He received a National Defense Service Medal and Vietnam Service Medal.

After returning to Hawaii, Young worked as a city prosecutor, a U.S. Assistant District Attorney and a federal magistrate before moving into private practice, his wife Beverley said. He was passionate about politics and enjoyed spending time with friends such as Chee and late Judge Harold Fong, she added.

After 25 years of marriage, however, Beverley doesn't remember Young as an attorney or judge, but recalls a loving husband and father. "He was my husband, not my co-worker," she said. "He was a wonderful family man."

Young was devoted to his sons, Thomas Jr. and Courtney, and never missed a baseball or tennis game. "He did sports with them. We did Disneyland. We traveled together," Beverley said. "He was a wonderful person, and I'm his wife."

Services were held Dec. 1.