Claude Shepherd Honored As November Veteran Of The Month
WARSAW — Claude Shepherd, Warsaw, was honored as the November Veteran of the Month at the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting held Tuesday, Nov. 14.
Shepherd was born in Kentucky. His family moved to Indiana when he was age 2 or 3. Shepherd’s family lived in the Silver Lake area.
Shepherd turned 18 on Aug. 14, 1944 and was drafted into the Army that September. He was sent to Camp Atterbury in Indiana and then to Camp Fannin in Texas for infantry training. Shepherd volunteered for the Airborne Service and attended jump training in Ft. Benning, Ga.
Shepherd trained with the 11th Airborne Division for the jump into Japan. Shepherd described dropping an atomic bomb on Japan.
“That didn’t do it so we dropped the second one,” he stated. At that time, Shepherd said, Japan decided to surrender. The date was Aug. 14, 1945, Shepherd’s birthday.
He spoke of being in Okinawa where they were asked to secure an area for General MacArthur’s plane to land. Shepherd described being close enough to see MacArthur walking off the plane, wearing his 50 mission cap and smoking his famous corncob pipe.
Shepherd said he spent the rest of his time in the occupation of Japan. Shepherd received an honorable discharge in November 1946. He was awarded the WWII Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, sharpshooter’s badge and paratrooper wings.
In 1952 Shepherd met the love of his life, Martha Middleton. The two were married on June 7, 1952. They were married for 62 years, until Martha’s passing in March 2015.
Shepherd was employed for 30 years at the Warsaw Post Office, retiring in 1987.
In May 2016 Shepherd and his grandson, Dan, went on the Honor Flight to Washington D.C.
“It was a very good day for both of us that I’ll always remember,” said Shepherd.
Shepherd’s daughter, Sandy, said her father is an active 91-year-old who is often mistaken for someone in his 70s. She describes him as a man who loves God and life and who takes great pride in his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
“He has a quiet strength that I witnessed when he cared for my mom in the last several years of her life,” said Sandy, “He’s a good example of living life as it comes and enjoying everything you can and not worrying about the rest of it.”
“The real heroes of war are the ones who paid with their lives so that we might live free,” said Shepherd, “It was an honor to serve my country, and America is still the greatest in the world.”