BY JOHN CARSWELL – Daily Union Staff Writer
After two years of sending Pride Packages to soldiers stationed in Iraq, Eric and Pat Garlick are close to receiving a package of pride themselves. Their son, Marine Lance Corporal Evan Garlick, arrived in North Carolina on Monday after being stationed in Iraq.
However, the long-awaited reunion will be slightly delayed while the Garlicks make an unexpected side trip to Chicago to meet Oprah Winfrey. “The Oprah show got in touch with us on Sunday and verified all our information. The parents leave tomorrow and the boys leave tonight,” said Eric.
The group reunion between 33 Marines and their parents will take place live on the Oprah Show, Wednesday, April 4, 4:00 p.m. on Channel 3, WCIA Champaign, IL.
Eric and Pat Garlick called the Daily Union with the news from their cell phone in Jacksonville, NC. “This is so exciting!” said Pat. “We didn’t know about any of this until we were already on our way to Camp Lejeune. Evan called us from Kuwait and said, ‘Mom, how do you feel about seeing me in Chicago?’”
Evan and his unit, Company A, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, have been stationed in the treacherous Anbar province, an area that Pat called “A place of major insurgency…a very, very dangerous place.”
For the Garlicks, Evan’s return is very good news mixed with just a little disappointment. The Garlicks had just finished the trek from Shelbyville to North Carolina, “14 hours and 989 miles,” said Eric.
“We were looking forward to meeting him here at Camp Lejeune, but we will not get to see him until Chicago. We will go ahead and attend the reunion here with the 200 other soldiers who are not going to the show. I am not sure how the selection process was done, but I know that the parents had to be willing to go to Chicago to participate,” said Pat.
The Garlicks will park their car at the base and a bus will transport them and the other 64 parents to the Raleigh-Durham airport. From there, they will fly to Chicago and Oprah picks up the tab. “All expenses are paid by the show,” said Pat. “The airfare, meals, lodging and other expenses are all taken care of.”
When Evan was first deployed to Iraq, he wrote back to his parents telling how so many of the soldiers didn’t receive any packages from home. Eric and Pat Garlick quickly responded by sponsoring rummage sales to raise funds.
The on-going Pride Package efforts not only captured the attention of Shelby County residents but also Congressman John Shimkus (R-Illinois-19) who stopped in Shelbyville to pay a visit to the Garlicks. Shimkus expressed both gratitude and support for the Garlicks’ undertakings. “We really appreciate your effort, and just wanted to stop by and encourage you,” said Shimkus.
The Garlicks began Pride Packages in 2005, not long after Evan’s first deployment to Iraq. Since then, they have sent over 370 boxes from home containing toiletries, socks, toothpaste, snacks, cookies and letters of encouragement.
Although Evan is home on leave, he still has another 10 months left in the Marines. “He just completed his second tour and we are hoping he doesn’t have to go back again,” said Pat.
Evan and Joseph Doerr garnered national exposure when recently featured in an Associated Press photograph, taking their wounded commanding officer to safety after an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) went off. Garlick himself was also wounded in the back of his leg and was later awarded the Purple Heart for bravery in the line of fire.
After the Oprah show, the Garlicks will fly back to Camp Lejeune and drive back to Shelbyville where they can finally be reunited in the comfort of their own home.
Will Pat Garlick continue to send the Pride Packages after her son is back home? She responded, “As long as the war continues, I will send Pride Packages. I am committed to this program until all our service people are back home.”