Flags to fly at half staff for WWII veteran Shepperd
From city of Coeur d'Alene Facebook page:
You might wonder why the military flags at the Veterans Memorial in McEuen Park are at half-staff over the weekend.
We're honoring World War II veteran Jim Shepperd, the man who played an integral part in honoring vets in our community for 70 years.
Jim rang the bell at the park on Veterans Day every year beginning in the 1960s. You'd see him in the 4th of July parade in his classic car, too. Even when we where renovating McEuen, Jim was there at the Ronald D. Rankin Veterans Memorial Plaza at the Kootenai County Courthouse ringing the bell. He worked with our Parks Department to have it moved from its protective storage to the plaza for the event - to ensure that the community still had the opportunity to pay its respects in the way it always had, which included Jim ringing the bell with a sledgehammer.
A local boy, we honor Jim for his service both to our country and to our community. We'll also be placing 20 US flags along the driveway of Forest Cemetery, where Jim will be laid to rest this weekend.
Thank you, Jim, for all you did. You won't be forgotten.
