Whiskey, Blades and the Brave, a nonprofit organization supporting veterans' groups in the Flathead Valley, presented checks Oct. 13 to three local recipients at a meeting of the Bigfork VFW.  

The recipients included the Bigfork VFW, the Veterans Coalition of Northwest Montana and Underwater Soldiers.  

“We are very blessed to be able to do this, and we hope to be able to do this for many more years and keep supporting organizations like these that support our veterans here in the Flathead because we know there is a lot of need for all different types of help,” Whiskey, Blades and the Brave president Michelle Moore said. “We just appreciate all of you and everything you’ve done and all of those that have served our nation. Thank you.” 

Whiskey, Blades and the Braves focuses on supporting veterans’ organizations that only serve the Flathead Valley and are primarily staffed by volunteers to maximize the impact on veterans in need. Montana has one of the largest populations of veterans in the United States.  

The Bigfork VFW, located on Montana 35 just before downtown Bigfork, aims to be a gathering place for both veterans and the community, according to Post Quartermaster Ron Wenzel. The group runs a bar and grill that is open to the public, sponsors the local Patriot’s Pen essay contest for high schoolers, supports school trips to Washington, D.C., contributes toward unfunded school sports programs and is the charter organizations for Bigfork’s Boy Scout Troop 1913.  

This year, the VFW has undertaken a multilayered memorial project on the building’s grounds. The Bigfork Benghazi Memorial was relocated from private property to the VFW to make it more accessible to the public. They are also constructing a Sept. 11 memorial, a Vietnam War memorial and a Gold Star Family memorial to provide veterans and the public with a place to come and reflect, of which there are relatively few in the state of Montana despite the high population of veterans.  

With the donation from Whiskey, Blades and the Brave, the VFW plans to continue improving its infrastructure and become an inviting gathering place. 

“It's always a surprise, but it's not a surprise because our community is just so giving and thoughtful, especially when they see the projects that we're doing here at the VFW,” Wenzel said. 

This is the second year that the Veterans Coalition of Northwest Montana has received an award from Whiskey, Blades and the Brave for its work to end veteran suicide.  

The coalition is based out of the Bigfork VFW and serves veterans across Northwest Montana, who suffer from a disproportionately high rate of suicide. Per statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the suicide rate for veterans in Montana is 1.5 times higher than that of the national rate for veteran suicide, and three times higher than the general population’s suicide rate.   

The coalition works to identify risk factors, build partnerships in the community, coordinate veteran-specific suicide prevention trainings and facilitate the healing process through recreational, therapeutic and economic activities.  

At the group's core is the belief that veterans are best positioned to help other veterans.  

“The coalition is important. It's unfortunate that they're that busy, but they save people. They save lives. They make that type of difference,” Moore said. “If we can support that, then that's a privilege.” 

Underwater Soldiers provides recreational therapy to veterans and first responders in the Flathead Valley through scuba diving. In diving, founder Shawn Weisz said, weightless and with nothing to focus on but breathing, veterans find mental, emotional and physical peace.  

The group creates opportunities for veterans to try diving in a pool as many times as they want for free and sponsors scholarships for those who want to pursue diving certifications. The coordinate cleanup dives in lakes around the Flathead Valley and in six seasons have pulled nearly 17,000 pounds of trash from local watersheds. 

The donation from Whiskey, Blades and the Brave will help the group with operational expenses, like gear maintenance and renting dive time in the pool at Flathead Scuba.  

This is the fourth year that Whiskey, Blades and the Brave has raised money for veterans in the Flathead Valley through an annual fundraiser event. The organization started when a group of like-minded individuals started talking and asked themselves what they could do for those in the community who had served.  

Four years ago, when Moore was holding a whiskey tasting at the Evergreen Liquor Store, which she owns, Thomas Rucker of Rucker Knives suggested turning the tasting into a fundraiser for an organization supporting veterans.   

Rucker donated a one-of-a-kind knife to be auctioned off, and the name of the fledgling organization was born – whiskey tastings and auctioned blades to support those who bravely served their country. They supported the Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry at the first event, and the knife alone brought in more than $17,000.  

Each year, the event has only grown larger. This year, the fundraising event was hosted at the Red Barn on Wrangler Springs Ranch and raised $77,000.  Whistling Andy’s hosted the whiskey tasting with a special barrel for the 250th anniversary of the United States. The auction items were unique, “allowing bidders to go home with something very, very special and one of a king, nothing else like it in the rest of the world,” Moore said.  

Past knives have incorporated steel from the World Trade Center and wood from the USS Constitution. Board member Frank Ortega crafts axes that are also art pieces, taking his inspiration from the landscape of Montana and the materials he finds there. 

“It’s a shame that we need organizations like ours and like theirs because these men and women were made a promise when they raised their hand and took the oath, and unfortunately those promises were not kept,” Moore said. “The fact is, there is a need, and we are trying to fill it any way we can and help these organizations.” 

Whiskey, Blades and the Brave invites anyone interested to take part in the mission of supporting veterans in the Flathead Valley. They are also searching for a venue for next year’s fundraising event. Contact Michelle Moore at 406-253-1981 or [email protected] 

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.

    The Rucker knife donated for the 2026 Whiskey, Blades and the Brave event. The handle of the knife is made of wood from the USS Constitution. (Courtesy Michelle Moore)