Honoring those buried at sea
Jeff Selle | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 8 months AGO
<p>Gary Legard, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889 commander, tosses a wreath into Lake Coeur d'Alene from Independence Point during a Memorial Day ceremony Monday.</p>
<p>Jim Shepperd salutes alongside the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889 color guard as taps is being played during the Memorial Day ceremony at Independence Point.</p>
<p>Ronald Nakonieczny bows his head during the invocation at the start of the Memorial Day ceremony Monday.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - Jim Sheppard told a crowd of 50-plus spectators that this year's Memorial Day ceremony was going to be a little different.
He said the laying of the wreath ceremony has bounced around town a little bit in the past couple of years, but once the new Veterans Memorial is complete at McEuen Field, things should be back to normal.
Sheppard should know - as the Past Post Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889, he has been conducting the ceremony since 1952.
"I've been reading a book by Henderson called 'Down to the Sea,'" he told the crowd. "There is part in there about a young sailor who was standing up on deck and watched as a torpedo hit the ship just below the water line."
He said the torpedo came through the ship and out the other side. The captain came on the loudspeaker and gave the order to abandon ship, so the sailor jumped overboard and began to swim far enough away from the boat to avoid being sucked under water when the ship went down.
"When he looked back he saw another head pop up out of the water," Sheppard said. "It was another sailor who was below deck when the ship was hit. He jumped through the hole the torpedo had made and swam to safety."
As the ship sank, Sheppard said those two sailors lived, but many others did not.
"This morning that is who we're going to honor," he said. "We'll honor those who were buried at sea."
After a brief ceremony conducted by the VFW and the Pappy Boyington Detachment of the Marine Corps League, a wreath was set afloat on Lake Coeur d'Alene at Independence Point.
For Sheppard it was on to the next event with the Catholic War Veterans and the Knights of Columbus at St. Thomas Cemetery at 10 a.m.
At that event, Sheppard read from the VFW Ritual Prayer for Memorial Day before the Catholic War Veterans held Mass at a small shrine in the cemetery.
Margaret Ogram said the VFW has been reciting the prayer for at least the past four years.
After the St. Thomas function, Sheppard was off to Forest Cemetery for yet another event.
He said he will be glad when the new Veterans Memorial is built at McEuen, because they won't be as spread out.
"I am not sure exactly what it's going to look like, but I have seen the pictures," he said. "It should be really nice."
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