Welcome For Plainfield Soldier Set For Saturday

PLAINFIELD, IL — Plainfield Central graduate Daniel Graczyk of the U.S. Army will get a warm welcome home Saturday as he returns from deployment in Afghanistan and Operation Welcome You Home is asking area residents to come out and show their support. Staging for the welcome will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 31, at Meijer, located at Route 59 and 135th Street.

Graczyk, 24, was born in Chicago to parents Cheryl and Robert. The family — including Daniel's twin brother Steven and older brother James — moved to Plainfield when he was 3 years old. He attended Central Elementary, Indian Trail Middle School and Plainfield Central High School before studying fire science and emergency medicine at JJC.

At age 18, Gracyzk became a member of the Plainfield Emergency Management Agency and Will County Search and Rescue. At age 21, he enlisted in the Army, completing basic training and airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia before joining the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

He would spend his first year and half with the Pathfinder Company (F Co2-82 Aviation Brigade). In October 2016 he came down on orders to Bone Company (A Co 1-504) where he resides today. In September 2017 Dan deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Resolute Support and has just returned to the United States in March of 2018. While Dan has been in the Army he has received numerous awards.

Graczyk hopes to find work with an area police or fire department upon his return to Plainfield.

Via Operation Welcome You Home