Honoree: Steven E. Shephard


Steven E. Shephard
Dates: Died June 27, 2005
Hometown: Purcell, OK
Branch of Service: Army
Rank: Chief Warrant Office 2
Player: Braxton Watts

Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Steven Shephard, 30, was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He and another pilot were killed June 27, 2005, when their AH-64D Apache helicopter crashed near Taji, Iraq.

CW2 Shephard was a 1993 graduate of Purcell High School. He played baseball and played the saxophone in the school’s marching band. Even in high school he loved everything about flying and jets and had a dream of becoming a pilot. He even obtained his pilot’s license before graduating from high school. CW2 Shephard earned his aviation degree from Oklahoma State University in 1998. After graduation, he became a flight instructor first at the U.S. Air Force Academy for a year, then at Kansas State University for 1 ½ years. Six months after the 9/11 terrorist attack, CW2 Shephard enlisted in the U.S. Army and graduated from Warrant Officer Candidate School in October 2002 as an officer.

CW2 Shephard loved being with his wife and family, flying, watching NASCAR, and spending time outdoors where he liked to hunt and fish. His hometown of Purcell, Oklahoma renamed their airport to honor CW2 Shephard.

His wife was expecting the couple’s first child in September.