Soldier Honored: Steven E. Shephard

Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Steven Shephard, 30, was assigned to the 3^rd Battalion, 3^rd Aviation Regiment, 3^rd Infantry Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina and served during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.  On June 27, 2005, CW2 Shephard and another pilot were killed 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 for at the U.S. Air Force Academy for a year, then a flight instructor at Kansas State University for 1 ½ years.  Six months after the 9/11 terrorist attack, CW2 Shephard enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 2002 and graduated 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.

CW2 Shephard’s daughter is a Folds of Honor Scholarship recipient.