The
Antoniks had come home from church Sunday and were getting ready to go out to
eat when the doorbell rang.
Three
men were there to tell them that their son had been killed while serving in
Staff
Sgt. Christopher J. Antonik, 29, died while supporting combat operations in
Helmand province,
Antonik’s
paternal grandmother,
“My
son had gone to open the door, and there stood three men in their uniforms and
medals,” she said. “They said they wanted to see his mother, too, and John
called his wife to come down. It was just a shock.”
Antonik
was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps
Forces Special Operations Command at
“We
just cried and cried,” Antonik’s grandmother said. “It was a hard thing to
take.”
Antonik,
who graduated from
It
was Antonik’s third tour overseas after two tours in
“He
wanted to serve his country, and he worked very hard at it,” Florence Antonik
said. “He was such a fine boy. I love him very much and I watched him grow up.”
In a
2001 interview with the Northwest Herald, Antonik’s father, John, spoke about
his fears after his son joined the Marine Corps, but said that the family was
in God’s hands.
“We
have anxiety, but not much at this point,” he said. “I guess the reason we feel
this way is because he got his wish. This is something he wanted to do, even in
high school.”
When
his father came home from work, Christropher Antonik would rappel down a tree
in his front yard as a greeting. He had hoped to one day become a Navy SEAL.
Christopher
Antonik’s decorations included a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, three
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, a Combat Action Ribbon, four Sea Service
Deployment Ribbons, an Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, two Iraq
Campaign Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, and two Navy Unit
Commendations.
Antonik
also is survived by his sister, Jennifer. He is the sixth service member from
Army
Pfc. Collier Barcus of McHenry was killed July 8, 2004, in Iraq; Marine Lance
Cpl. Jonathan Collins of Crystal Lake was killed Aug. 8, 2004, in Iraq; Army
Spc. Keith Nurnberg of McHenry was killed Sept. 5, 2007, in Iraq; Army Spc.
Lukasz D. Saczek of Lake in the Hills died May 10, 2009, in Afghanistan, and
Army Sgt. Jason A. McLeod of Crystal Lake was killed Nov. 23, 2009, in
Afghanistan.
http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2010/07/13/r_gm3g3z60tgyrwbt3wizblg/index.xml
…The
Department of Defense said Antonik was assigned to the 1st Marine Special
Operations Battalion based at
A
former
Before
John Antonik headed to a church meeting Saturday, he slipped on a T-shirt
emblazoned with the Marines logo that his son left behind before departing for
"John
just graduated from our men's group on Saturday and was given dog tags that
say, 'Leave no man behind,'" said John Engberg, associate pastor at Chain
of Lakes Community Bible Church. "He was wearing his son's Marines shirt
at the graduation ceremony — and his son dies the next day."
Engberg
described Christopher Antonik as an outgoing, energetic, risk-taking young man
who had found his niche.
"Regular
society was not enough for Chris — he needed bigger things, and had a higher
calling," Engberg said…
Story of the Airport
Escort
Photo
album one
Photo album two
Story of the Visitation
Photo
album three
Photo album four
Story of the Flagline
Photo
album five
Photo album six
Story of the Funeral
Photo
album seven
Photo album eight
back to ALL MISSIONS