Last summer Colonel Glen Shepherd, Chief Secretary of the Canada and Bermuda Territory of The Salvation Army, received a letter from President Jacques Chirac of France announcing that he had been admitted to the order of the Légion d'Honneur on June 4, 2003. He has now been presented with the award in a ceremony in Paris, France, and wears on his lapel the small red pin that indicates that he is a "Chevalier", or knight, of France's national order of merit.
Instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Légion d'Honneur is limited to 125,000 people in four classes: Chevalier, Officier, Commandeur and Grand'Croix. It is the highest distinction France can bestow for services to the nation.
President Chirac wrote that the award was in recognition of the remarkable work that Colonel Shepherd had accomplished on behalf of the most disadvantaged during his four years at the head of The Salvation Army in France. It also acknowledged Colonel Shepherd's commitment and profound humanitarianism, as well as the outstanding services he had rendered to France. A warm personal greeting in the President's own hand added an informal touch.
Colonel Shepherd returned to Paris where in a ceremony at the Temple de l’Oratoire du Louvre on Sunday, February 15 (immediately following the annual concert of the Army’s Musique Nationale under the direction of Colonel Robert Redhead) he was admitted to the order with the traditional words:
"Au nom du Président de la République et en vertu des pouvoirs qui nous sont conférés nous vous faisons Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur." ("In the name of the President of the Republic and by virtue of the powers conferred in us, we make you a knight of the Légion d'Honneur.")
Touched by the personal recognition, Colonel Shepherd is grateful for the support of the Protestant Federation of France (of which The Salvation Army is a member), which nominated him for the award. In that respect, he is especially gratified that the Republic of France has recognized not only the social action but also the Christian witness of The Salvation Army, in that the citation describes him as “Supérieur de la Congrégation” rather than head of The Salvation Army foundation. In accepting the distinction on behalf of The Salvation Army, Colonel Shepherd replied that this recognition had come to him only because he stood on the shoulders of his colleagues, past and present, who gave The Salvation Army the credibility it enjoys in French society today.
Colonel Shepherd looks at the citation in his office at the Territorial Headquarters of The Salvation Army, Canada and Bermuda.
