By Scott VanSickle
LocalSportsJournal.com

Making sure veterans get the support and recognition they deserve has been a personal mission for Jacquie Wood, starting during her career as a teacher at Montague Area Public Schools.

Wood put on a veteran’s concert throughout her 33-year tenure and they weren’t just elementary school kids singing or playing patriotic songs. Wood went all in on the production and brought in different speakers throughout the years, including a general in her final veteran’s concert, to give her students a chance to learn from people with real-world experience. It also gave the students a chance to appreciate and learn about the sacrifices that they make.

But the idea for the “Wildcat Salute” came when Wood was awarded Teacher of the Year for the state of Michigan in a ceremony in January, 2023. One of the other teachers being honored did the same ceremony at their school, and Wood knew she wanted to do it at Montague. After retiring that summer, Wood had the time to get the ceremony off the ground and running. But she had plenty of help along the way, starting with Superintendent Jeff Johnson and Athletic Director Jay Mulder lending their support, as well as help from Gloria Hess from the VFW Post 3256 in Montague in making sure the show followed proper military decorum.

“I always wanted to do it and I’m grateful our school let us do it,” Wood said of the ceremony that began in 2023 and saw this year’s version take place in front of a packed house before Montague’s 14-7 nail-biting win over Oakridge on Sept. 6.

“I missed that connection with the vets (from the concerts), but I don’t want it to be just military. If you ever need an ambulance, a police officer, a firefighter, you realize they are so underappreciated. My two sons are policemen, and some of the things (police) see, I don’t want to know about. Or the things firefighters go through, or what police or first responders see. They deserve our acknowledgement.”

The “Wildcat Salute” also has a connection to the “Sailor Salute” done by Mona Shores. In fact, Wood said that the director of the Shores program gave her the blueprint and made it possible to turn the idea into reality as quickly as she did.

“Tim Lipan, he does the Sailor Salute at Mona Shores, he gave me everything. He gave me their script, their timing. That was so helpful in getting this started,” said Wood.

The event was set up with three goals in mind: honoring those who serve or have served in the military, and police, fire departments and first responders that serve the Montague community; to educate the community about the needs and issues that exist in those fields and remind the fans about the freedoms they provide; and to connect all the branches of service with the community.

The event began two hours before kickoff and gave the Montague community, as well as Oakridge fans in attendance, the opportunity to view the interactive displays from the different branches of the military, the Montague and state police departments, White Lake VFW Post 3256, the Civil Air Patrol Youth Cadet Program, and Lighthouse for Suicide Veterans. The Michigan State Police had a helicopter from its aviation unit parked in left-center field of the Wildcats’ baseball diamond, and a Coast Guard boat, local fire trucks, police vehicles and an ambulance lined the traffic circle in front of the stadium entrance.

The on-field ceremonies began at 6 p.m. and started in style with the Patriotic Motorcycle Parade. Riders from Rolling Thunder Inc. and the American Legion did a lap around the track to help bring full accountability for all POW/MIA from all wars.

Earl Langler, Jerry Brandenburg, George Mead, Ricky Hall and Wayne Schneider all were honored in the Quilt of Valor ceremony, which saw these five veterans receive quilts made from the Shining Stars Quilting Bee of Muskegon. These Lifetime Awards were also made possible by the Quilts of Valor Foundation.

The Wildcats’ football program then honored Ken Dahl and Wayne Schneider as “Home Town Heroes.” Dahl, who was unable to attend the ceremony, was known through his time at Tri-County Feeds, his family-run business, and his service to the community and the Montague School Board. Schneider served in the Navy in the Pacific in the mid-50s, returned to Montague and served his alma mater by doing maintenance work and repairing sports equipment. Schneider received a medal from Montague captain Ryver Jarka, was named an honorary co-captain and was at midfield for the pre-game coin toss. Dahl will be receiving his medal in the near future.

The White Lake VFW Color Guard presented the nation’s colors in the fourth ceremony of the night, with a POW/MIA table prepared in honor of the men and women that never made it home while fighting for their country. All the pieces on the table had a special significance and the ceremony ended with a moment of silence. Following the pause, 1st Sergeant Andrew Schwallier of the 126 Army Band played Taps in honor of the fallen soldiers whose remains have returned home and those who have served and passed on.

And the final ceremony saw nearly 60 community members line the track on the home sideline for a grand salute. Active and retired military, law enforcement, fire fighters, first responders, members from the Michigan National Guard post in Montague stood side by side as every player from Montague and Oakridge gave each of the local heroes a handshake and a thank you. The heroes got a lengthy applause and a standing ovation from each contingent of fans, setting the stage for the nail-biter of a game played by the two teams.

“Seeing the players go through the line, saying thank you to the heroes, I shed a tear,” Wood said. “This was a real-life educational opportunity (for the players) to realize that the heroes, they drop everything for them and others when they’re needed.”

The lone downside of the night was the flyover from the Hooligan Flight Team was canceled due to rain at the Muskegon County Airport, and they couldn’t parachute the game ball into the stadium. But Wood doesn’t plan on stopping work on the Wildcat Salute anytime soon. She has some ideas in the very early stages to expand the salute to the city of Montague to raise money and streamline the process. But first and foremost, Wood’s top priority will be making sure the people that protect our communities and nation are recognized for their sacrifices.

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