GRAND MARSHAL
107th Leavenworth County Veterans Day Observance
2026 LV County Veterans Day Parade
In recognition of their lifelong service to our nation and community,
Richard Kiper & Louise Graul Eisenbrandt
are being honored as Grand Marshals of this year's parade.
Charles L. Shoemaker is being posthumously honored as a Grand Marshal,
in tribute to his enduring legacy of service and dedication.
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Richard Kiper is a 1967 West Point graduate with extensive service in airborne, infantry, and Special Forces units. He commanded an infantry company in Vietnam, where he was wounded, and later served with the 5th Special Forces Group. After earning a master’s degree in history from Rice University, he taught military history at West Point.
From 1984–1987, he worked at the Pentagon on a major joint Army–Air Force project that helped secure $850 million to modernize Army Special Operations aviation, leading to the creation of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. He also played key roles in establishing Special Operations support and signal units and contributed to counterterrorism doctrine, qualifying as a HALO parachutist during this period.
Later, he taught at the Command and General Staff College, earned a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas, and authored multiple military history books. After retiring in 1993, he worked at the Army Counterinsurgency/Irregular Warfare Center. He has been married for 58 years and has four children and twelve grandchildren.
Lou Graul grew up in a small Illinois town and joined the Army Reserve in 1967 while training as a nurse. After earning her nursing degree in 1968, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant and assigned to Fort Dix. In 1969, she was promoted to first lieutenant and deployed to Vietnam, where she served for a year at the 91st Evacuation Hospital in Chu Lai. There, she treated U.S. troops, South Vietnamese soldiers and civilians, and enemy combatants, caring for severe combat injuries and illnesses. She was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for her service.
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Her experiences are detailed in her first book, Vietnam Nurse, Mending and Remembering, which draws on her journals and photographs to depict combat nursing and daily life in Vietnam. Since 1970, she has returned to Vietnam four times, most recently in 2014.
For over 50 years, Lou has shared her story with students, veterans, and community groups. She has served on nonprofit boards, worked in various professions, and pursued creative interests. She has lived with Parkinson’s disease for over two decades, linked to Agent Orange exposure, and chronicled this journey in her second book, Unsteady As She Goes: Battling Parkinson’s After Vietnam (2022). Lou lives in Leawood, Kansas, with her husband Jim and has two children and two grandchildren.
Charles L. Shoemaker of Lansing, Kansas, passed away on December 6, 2025, at age 79 after a courageous battle with cancer. Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, he was a devoted husband, father, patriot, and community leader. He was preceded in death by his wife, Roberta Shoemaker, and two sisters.
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A proud U.S. Army veteran, Charles served from 1964–1967 with tours in Vietnam and Germany and received the Vietnam Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal. He remained deeply committed to veterans’ causes throughout his life, holding numerous leadership roles within the VFW at the local, district, state, and regional levels. He served for 50 years on the Leavenworth Veterans Day Parade planning committee, established an annual Law Enforcement Awards Dinner, and advised Senator Jerry Moran on veterans’ affairs.
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Known for his vibrant personality, Charles enjoyed clog dancing, Motown music, classic films, motorcycle riding, and fishing. He is survived by his sons, grandchildren, siblings, and extended family, and is remembered for his lifelong dedication to service, community, and patriotism.