Officers honor one of their own

By Angie Thompson/senior reporter

TIFTON — Hundreds of people from around the state attended the Monday afternoon funeral of Major Jack Woolard, held at Northside Baptist Church in Tifton, and his full military burial service at Oakridge Cemetery. Woolard, a U.S. Air Force veteran and a 34-year veteran of the Tift County Sheriff’s Office, died Friday morning after collapsing on the steps of the Tift County Courthouse.

Linda Bell performed the prelude for the funeral service. Dr. Fred M. Evers, Northside’s pastor, welcomed those who attended. Melanie Peavey sang “Holy Ground” before the Rev. Jason Jones read scripture and prayed. Peavey then sang “His Eye is on the Sparrow” before Tift County Sheriff Gary Vowell gave Woolard’s eulogy. Vowell also unveiled a plaque that was covered in black and read the words announcing that he had posthumously promoted Woolard to the rank of colonel. Evers then gave a message, Peavey sang “Amazing Grace,” and Bell gave the postlude before family and friends and a multitude of law enforcement officers from various agencies, lights flashing, led the large processional of cars to Oakridge Cemetery for the burial ceremony.

In that processional was Woolard’s “blacked out” Ford Crown Victoria, driven by co-worker and friend Capt. Bobby Brannen of the Tift County Sheriff’s Office. Also traveling in the processional from Northside Baptist Church, down Fulwood Road to Tift Avenue and then down Second Street to cross U.S. Highway 82 to the cemetery, were representatives from local and state law enforcement and city and county agencies, including the Tifton Police Department, Animal Control, Tift County EMS and the Tifton-Tift County Fire Department. Also represented in the processional were vehicles representing various law enforcement agencies from Fitzgerald, Omega, Poulan and Douglas and the counties of Brooks, Lowndes, Cook, Crisp and Turner. Members of the GSP and the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety also participated.

The car had been “blacked out” with all shiny elements of the car covered in black material as is the tradition that represents fallen law enforcement officers. Brannen signed Woolard “10-7” (Out of Service) and “10:42” (Ending Tour of Duty) as of 8:30 a.m. Friday. Those call signals and special words were relayed by radio over all bands of listening emergency responders. “Tift-2,” Woolard’s call sign, was retired and will never be used again.

The tradition to “black out” the patrol car of a deceased law enforcement officer is conducted to symbolize a riderless horseman. After the graveside service is completed, very close friends and family members gather at an undisclosed location where the material used to black out the car is ceremoniously burned to set the officer’s spirit free to return to patrol and guard over everyone left behind. The “black out” tradition began with law enforcement officers in North Georgia. Woolard brought the tradition to South Georgia.

At Oakridge, members of the Georgia State Patrol’s Honor Guard and Color Guard folded an American flag and then handed it to Vowell, who presented it to Woolard’s wife of 18 years, Marie Woolard. She serves as the senior dispatcher at the GSP Post 13 in Tifton.

Also during the graveside service, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office’s Honor Guard performed a 14-gun salute. A Georgia State Patrol bagpiper played several songs as two GSP helicopters flew overhead.

To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.

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