COEUR d'ALENE - Harold Kiel describing himself as an ordinary guy is indicative of the humility associated with America's Greatest Generation.

Kiel, 91, served in the Navy providing emergency assistance to victims of kamikaze attacks during World War II. Three weeks ago, he was told he had been selected to serve as the grand marshal of this year's American Heroes Parade in downtown Coeur d'Alene on July 4.

"What a thrill," Kiel said of being selected. "I was absolutely amazed by it. I thought 'My, that's a hell of an honor' and it's a privilege to be picked."

During his time in the Pacific theater, Kiel kept diaries detailing the daily horrors he witnessed aboard his Patrol Craft Escort Rescue ship.

"I went through some mighty, mighty rough spots in the Navy," he added.

Later in life Kiel would find out that keeping the diaries could have earned him a court martial during the war if they had been discovered by a superior. Instead, Kiel's powerful story was discovered by a neighbor in Hayden, Mike Kincaid, who used the five diaries to write a book called "One Came Home."

"He has quite the story to tell," Kincaid told The Press. "He's a pretty amazing guy."

When Kincaid's wife, Jill, took her husband's book to Diane Higdem at the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce the two talked at length about Kiel. Jill told The Press that Higdem approached her asking how the veteran would feel about being this year's grand marshal.

"I said he'd probably love it," she said. "He's the most upbeat, amazing man. Everybody loves Harold."

When asked what Independence Day means to him, Kiel paused and searched for the right words.

"It's really great to be an American," Kiel said while fighting tears. "But it's really hard to explain just how much it means."

Originally two heroes were scheduled to be the grand marshals of this year's parade. Higdem said that Herbert "Bud" Kirchhoff, an Army veteran who served in World War II and was a prisoner of war, had been nominated by a member of the community.

Kirchhoff participated in many of the Fourth of July Parades as a member of the Disabled American Veterans Charity float and was also named Distinguished Veteran of the Year at a 2014 ceremony in Hayden.

Everything was set to go, she added, and the two-man team had been informed they were selected as grand marshals. But on June 10, Kirchhoff died peacefully at the age of 96.

"I'm just glad he was able to be in the parade all the years that he was," Higdem said. "But I was really hoping he could be a grand marshal this year."

The American Heroes Parade begins at 11 a.m. on July 4 with a route that goes down Sherman Avenue and ends at Coeur d'Alene City Park.