Thank You Veterans: After 10 years of service, Batavia’s Jon Woods dedicates his life to help fellow veterans

Jon Woods still remembers his firsthand experience of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

When American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the Pentagon in 2001, Woods was in the building as a member of the commandant staff of the U.S. Marine Corps. It was one of the hardest days in his 10-year career in the military.

Woods said other dates were even more important to him that year: Sept. 12, Sept. 13, Sept. 14.

“How much we were together as a nation and as a world was unbelievable,” Woods said. “And if we could, if we could even come just anywhere close to that again without having to be attacked, how amazing would that be?”

More than 23 years later, Woods still holds on to that drive to bring people closer. His efforts since moving to the area have opened Batavia’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post to the community, including the high school.

Woods was born and raised in Aurora and joined the Marines out of high school in 1997. He knew he didn’t want to go to college and could not find intriguing job prospects at the time.

Woods served in the military for 10 years. He was stationed across four posts including the Pentagon for four years. He also was stationed at the Chicago Military Entrance Processing Station, which set him up for his current line of work for the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command.

Although he learned a lot during his 10 years in the military, Woods said he realized his true calling the moment he officially got the eagle, globe and anchor emblem.

“It was almost instantaneous where I realized that I do have a calling now and that calling is to live a life of service,” Woods said. “It’s about something bigger than me. It’s about the Marine Corps. It’s about my family. It’s about this nation and my brothers and sisters in uniform. There’s never going to be a time in my life again where the narrative is just about me. It’s about living a life of service and truly trying to make this world a better place.”

In 2017, Woods and his family moved to Batavia. That same year, Woods became a life member at VFW Post 1197 in Batavia. It has given him opportunities to provide service to his brothers and sisters in arms in multiple ways, from helping pay electric bills, to getting veterans to and from VA appointments, to helping those exposed to Agent Orange find creative ways to drive again.

“Those are the opportunities that we want to put out there and to create a community in which our veterans feel welcome,” Woods said. “There’s some people out there that are really dealing with some hard times and struggles because of their military service and just having that door open, just having that person to come sit next to, just having that individual who says thank you and raises a glass to or that person that says, ‘Hey, I hear you, I see you.’ It’s not like any other business.”

After Woods joined the VFW Post, he was named to its officer board as the Jr. Vice Commander. When he joined the board, Woods said the focus was on getting the word out to the community about the VFW and showing it was a place where everybody was welcome, not just veterans.

He’s an American hero in our community who is trying to continue to do great things.”

—  Dennis Piron, Batavia football head coach

When thinking of who to reach out to, Woods thought it would be a good idea to find what could be considered the pride of Batavia. That search eventually led him to talking with Batavia athletic director David Andrews, assistant athletic director Jim Nazos and head football coach Dennis Piron.

“We just told them that we want the community to know that we’re here and we want to tie into the success that you guys have and we want you to know that we want to be a part of this,” Woods said. “Whether it’s a big win or a tough loss, our doors are open. We want to show our support in the community and we want to link ourselves to good people, but we also want to link ourselves to the future and show them what the VFW has offered, but also show them that like as veterans, this is still something we want them to look up to.”

Since then, the VFW has become a popular spot for Woods’ children and friends, as well as other athletic programs, to visit and hold events. Piron has made sure to make the most of opportunities granted by the VFW, from hosting game nights at the facility to getting kids to sign up for awards and scholarships.

“The VFW is a great community resource,” Piron said. “It’s a beautiful piece of land and just a wonderful place for gatherings. They’ve continued to make improvements inside and out so that they could be not just a place where veterans gather and have a home locally, but a place where the community can call home.”

Discussions between the four led to a community outreach event centered at the high school. Woods said when discussing adding a color guard team, a military appreciation night was brought up.

Batavia hosted its first Military Appreciation Night during a football game in 2018 with the help of members at the VFW post. Piron said his only regret was the team didn’t do it sooner.

“There’s a nice feel of community with it and it’s a great thing to remind your players of that week and so often that there’s these people that live in our community that have done so much for us so we could have the life that we have, play a game of football on Friday night and go about our lives,” Piron said. “And a number of the vets have made great sacrifices and have some pretty rough injuries and some serious life situations. And I think it’s nice that the people get to see them and know who they are.”

During the first Military Appreciation Night, Woods took part in the coin toss and joined other veterans in receiving free food and admission to the game as well as recognition at halftime.

Since then, Military Appreciation Night has grown bigger at each event thanks to ideas from Woods and the Batavia athletics staff. Veterans and first responders are recognized at halftime. Players run onto the field carrying American flags. The student section in the stands is decked out in red, white and blue. This season, the VFW Post 1197 Contributions to the Community Award was announced at the game.

Woods said Military Appreciation Night is the event that everyone at VFW meetings has circled on their calendar each year.

“It’s so cool to experience it from our side. It’s so humbling,” Woods said. “It’s a good thing that none of us have any talking parts because I don’t think any of us could get through it as veterans to see that kind of outpouring of support. I’m at a loss for words just even trying to explain how much that means, even for that one bleeding moment in time to have that recognition and all of our vets who have now done this for any amount of years.”

Woods said he hopes the VFW can continue to be active in the community while also ensuring the veterans who come to the VFW continue to get the help they need.

“He’s an American hero in our community who is trying to continue to do great things,” Piron said of Woods. “There’s lots of different types of people like Jon Woods around our town, which makes Batavia one of the best places to live in America.”