Ortonville-Last Saturday afternoon, bright sunshine replaced hours of torrential rains just in time to honor fallen soldier Pfc. Joe Miracle at Brandon Varsity Field.
A 2003 Brandon High School graduate, Miracle died in the Watapor Valley of Kunar Province in Afghanistan on July 5 by a surprise attack of hostile enemy fire from insurgents.
The tribute to Miracle, which attracted more than 1,000 people, featured the Junior Blackhawks vs. the Lake Orion Dragons. As a special honor, Miracle’s high school football jersey number, ?1,? was affixed to the Blackhawks helmets for the season.
‘I was doing the announcing in mid-field when I presented Joe’s parents to the crowd,? said Jim McArthur, Junior Blackhawks general manager.
‘It was really impressive. They walked to the mid-field as football players held their helmets high in the air with Joe’s number one sticker on them. When the Veterans of Foreign Wars color guard marched from the end zone to join Joe’s parents for a moment of silence, I was in tears and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.?
As part of the honorary tribute, Miracle was named the honorary captain of the 2007 Brandon Junior Varsity football team and his parents, Glenn and Judy Miracle, were presented with a certificate and donations to the scholarship foundation they have set up in their son’s honor.
‘The respect shown for our son, Joe, was overwhelming and heartwarming,? said Glenn Miracle, Joe’s father.
‘If Joe was looking down on all of this, he would have been very honored and very humbled by the attention. The best part was when Judy and I walked past those young players and I saw the respect and seriousness in their eyes for a fallen soldier and past Junior Blackhawks football player.?