Sgt. 1st Class David Wilcox is Moving On

David Wilcox said he’s not a talkative guy.

When the U.S. Army ordered Wilcox to four years ago for recruiting duty, he didn’t realize what a verbally exhausting job it would be, extolling to recruit candidates the benefits of serving one’s country.

“I’m what you call a introvert,” said Wilcox, a sergeant first class in the Army’s Engineer Corps. “I wouldn’t ask you for a dollar. But when you’re a recruiter, you do a lot of asking.

“This job helped me improve my talking skills.”

Although he enjoyed his stay in Crystal Lake, he was looking forward to getting back to Army life, including getting up early, running and doing pushups with his unit before breakfast.

What made Wilcox join the Army?

Jobs were hard to find in the little town of Elkins, W. Va., where Wilcox grew up.

“I wasn’t going to college,” Wilcox said. “My father told me to get out there and see the world. Joining the Army was a family tradition.”

He enlisted June 16, 1999, after graduating from high school. He was stationed in Germany when terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center.

Wilcox spent two combat tours in Iraq. With that war officially declared at an end, he said he feels as if he is part of history.

Life after Crystal Lake

The Army ordered Wilcox back to Germany. He’ll be stationed at Rose Barracks in Vilseck and expects to be deployed to Afghanistan in two years.

“I’ll be reporting for duty in January,” Wilcox said. But his wife, Karin, a German citizen, and sons Michael, 4, and Jesse, 2, remain behind in Crystal Lake for now.

“The paperwork for them will come through shortly, I hope,” Wilcox said.

One pastime he picked during his stay in Crystal Lake was boxing. He enjoys sparring daily at in Crystal Lake. He trains with his Army buddy, Sgt. 1^st Class Jose Rodriguez, and with Dana Muligano, a 33-year-old Gurnee firefighter.

 “I’ll be looking for a boxing gym when I get to Germany,” Wilcox said.