Patton tribute muzzled for parade
A military command vehicle with a mock machine gun mounted on the passenger side will be allowed in Coeur d’Alene’s Fourth of July parade Wednesday. But the loud prop gun, which thrilled and startled parade watchers last year, is to remain silent.
A close replica of U.S. Army Gen. George Patton’s command vehicle in World War II, the entry appeared in last year’s parade firing thunderous bursts from the theatrical 50-caliber M-4. The owner, retired Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Bob Brooke, of Hayden, stood stiffly in the Jeep dressed as Old Blood and Guts himself, accompanied by state Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake, and two other friends.
The Coeur d’Alene Area Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the popular Independence Day parade down Sherman Avenue, fielded complaints about the simulated gunfire last year and initially decided to keep Brooke’s vehicle out of this year’s lineup. City officials also said the blasts would violate the noise ordinance – even on a day when sirens and fireworks fill the air.
But following a day of debate and discussions Friday between parade officials, city leaders and the Republican Party of Kootenai County, chamber CEO Jonathan Coe said he agreed to a compromise.
“I’ve indicated we would allow it into the parade if there is no shooting,” Coe said. “It’s not the gun itself. It’s the scariness that goes with the shooting.”
Brooke said he will comply with the condition but is disappointed in the decision. “It was a crowd pleaser,” he said of last year’s appearance. “People loved it.”
Rathdrum resident Ron G. Johnson, who plans on riding with Brooke on Wednesday, said he went to City Hall to discuss the noise ordinance and see if the vehicle could be granted an exception. Mayor Sandi Bloem shot them down, Johnson said.
“This is the Fourth of July, and freedom was won with guns that made noise, and I don’t see any reason why we can’t do that in the parade,” he said.
Bloem did not return calls seeking comment Friday. City Attorney Mike Gridley said the sound of gunfire – real or not – would violate the noise ordinance.
The vehicle could violate other ordinances, too, including one that prohibits real or replica firearms from being displayed in the parade, Gridley said. The only exception is for veterans groups, he said.
The Chamber of Commerce pirate ship float has fake canons and uses tape-recorded sounds of cannon fire, but, Coe said, “That’s pretty much a fantasy situation, where this is a real (military vehicle) with what appeared to be real weapons.”
Brooke said the parade is to honor American heroes. “I really don’t understand the intransigence of city officials,” he said.
A recent transplant from California, Brooke said he never had trouble with his command car there – a state “with terrible gun-control laws.”
“We came to Idaho for the values here and now I find this,” he said Friday.
Kootenai County Republican Chairman Brad Corkhill said he was thrilled the chamber would allow the command car in the parade after all.
“I think it’s unfortunate we can’t fire the gun,” Corkhill said. “We could have toned the noise down so that it wasn’t so loud. Nonetheless, we’re glad to be there.”