Shoeman to be honored during Hayden Veterans Day ceremony

HAYDEN — The city of Hayden Veterans Commission will hold its Veterans Day ceremony and recognize the 2015 Distinguished Veteran of the Year at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, at the City Hall PFC Robert J. Gordon Veterans Memorial Plaza.

The city has selected Robert Shoeman as the 2015 Distinguished Veteran of the Year for his involvement and passion for veterans. Among his many accomplishments, Shoeman served in the U.S. Navy from 1974-1978 and the Navy Reserves from 1978-1980. He has served in many capacities, such as chairman of the North Idaho Veterans Stand Down from 2001-2011, board member of the Veterans Advisory Board for the 111th session of Congress for U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick from 2009-2011 and he presently is the employers outreach coordinator of Area 1 of Idaho.

Shoeman is currently employed as the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program specialist by the Idaho Department of Labor. He has received several awards for his dedication and excellence, including the 2004 Idaho American Legion Local Veterans Employment Representative of the Year; International Association of Workforce Professions Individual Art Row Services to Veteran award in 2006; the 2008 Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Above and Beyond Award; the 2010 State of Idaho American Legion Local Veterans Employment Representative of the Year; and was the national winner of the American Legion Local Veterans Employment Representative of the Year 2010.

The guest speaker for this year's ceremony is Mike Baker, a retired covert CIA operative. During a career spanning more than 15 years as a CIA covert field operations officer, Baker specialized in counterterrorism, counternarcotics and counterinsurgency operations and engaged in, organized and supervised operations around the globe.

After leaving government service, Baker cofounded Diligence LLC, a global intelligence, investigations, risk management and security firm that has grown over the past decade into one of the acknowledged industry leaders. Baker appears regularly on Fox News and CNN as well as other major media outlets. He is also the co-host of America Declassified, a weekly series that premiered on the Travel Channel in November 2013, and co-host of World Access, a new weekly series premiering on the Travel Channel late this year.

Refreshments will be served immediately following the ceremonies.

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