The public is invited to attend a flag raising ceremony at noon on Tuesday in the Ronald D. Rankin Veterans Memorial Plaza. The flag to be raised has significance to the community, as one that was carried by SFC Eric Cookman of the Hayden-based Company B, 321st Engineer Battalion on May 30 in the Al Anbar Province Ramadi, Iraq. The flag was in the 1st Platoon’s B-361 Buffalo during route clearance in support of the 2nd Marines Expeditionary Force. SFC Cookman served on the Kootenai County Local Emergency Planning Committee and the Office of Emergency Management Council before his deployment to Iraq in Sept. 2006, He sent the flag to Sandy Von Behren, director of the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management this month and she wants to share the flag with the public as well as honor Cookman and all who are serving in the Armed Forces. Kootenai County Commissioners, Purple Heart recipients from Cookman’s unit and local veterans organizations will participate in the ceremony. The Ronald D. Rankin Veterans Memorial Plaza is located at the Kootenai County Administration complex on Garden Ave. and Government Way in Coeur d’Alene.

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