McCaleb: A soldier’s Father’s Day message

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Dan Marchik plans to run in a 5-kilometer race tomorrow, talk to his father on the telephone, and then relax.

“Not too bad of a way to spend Father’s Day,” the Crystal Lake man told me via e-mail, “except I’ll be doing it without my family, which is definitely a bummer.”

Marchik is a first lieutenant with the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division of the Minnesota National Guard. He is stationed in Basra, Iraq, where he has served as a public affairs operations officer for the past eight weeks.

His wife, Julie, and two sons, Jon, 11, and Jake, 8, remain in Crystal Lake.

Had he not been serving his country in a war zone, he told me in an e-mail interview Thursday, “we would go to church and probably have Julie’s family over and just take it easy.”

Marchik enlisted with the Red Bulls after learning that they were going to Iraq. He knew that the deployment would be a huge sacrifice for himself and his family, but he felt the calling. He told me that he “obviously” misses his family “a lot,” and he knows that his family misses him.

“My wife and older son are doing pretty well, but my younger son is a little more emotional about things,” he said. “I can see why, since I’m missing some important moments. He just got braces and is starting his first football season soon.”

In only eight weeks, Marchik has missed quite a bit.

“I missed my older son’s graduation from fifth grade, and a couple of his band concerts,” he said. “I’ve also missed numerous Cub Scout events. One birthday, too. Come this summer, I’ll miss football and maybe baseball games, as well. We try to do a lot of camping, and that will be the biggest thing I’ll miss.”

Marchik said he had learned something from his time away. And his message is worth sharing this Father’s Day weekend.

“Now that I see how much I’m missing, I’ve learned to not take for granted any time that can be spent with the kids,” he said. “I’ve also learned that time is short and to enjoy the little things in life and not get worked up about things you can’t control. Kids do some crazy things, but that’s life. It’s not worth it to get worked up about it.”

Since his tour in Iraq started, Marchik has been blogging about his experiences on our Web site, NWHerald.com. You can read all of his posts by clicking here.

Because of his heroic service, Marchik can’t be with his family this Father’s Day. For what it’s worth, he can have the last word here today.

“I just want to wish all the dads out there a happy Father’s Day, especially to my dad,” he said. “He’s a great dad, and great grandfather to my kids. I couldn’t ask for anyone better.”

• Dan McCaleb is editor of the Northwest Herald. He can be reached at 815-459-4122, or via e-mail at dmccaleb@nwherald.com.