Community Corner

Warriors Watch Riders Welcome Home Barrington Marine

Lance Cpl. Lisa Zychowski was treated like a rock star with a motorcade and cheers for her service.

For Lance Cpl. Lisa Zychowski, the welcome home festivities staged by Warriors Watch Riders were a total surprise.

The riders, along with a police escort, showed up at her Barrington home, Sunday afternoon, with blaring sirens and beeping horns. 

"I thought a plane had crashed," Zychowski said. Upon learning that all the commotion was for her, Zychowski was full of smiles mixed in with a few tears. 

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Zychowski just returned home from her first tour of duty in Afghanistan. She joined the Marines in 2008. She serves as a radio operator with the 8th Communications Battalion and keeps fit as a personal trainer.

Warriors Watch Riders is an organization whose mission is to support veterans and their families in many ways. One of the goals of the WWR is that every returning soldier receives a warm welcome home. Many of the members are Vietnam and Cold War veterans who want to ensure that this generation of war heroes are treated with honor and respect, according to the WWR mission.

Find out what's happening in Barringtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

When the riders arrived at Zychowski's home they honored her with cheers and hugs. The WWR leaders told Zychowski she was going to get rock star treatment, and she did. The motorcade took her to Wool Street Bar and Grill. Wool Street was lined with American flags and more well-wishers.

Glenn DeVries of the WWR asked Zychowski what she missed most, besides her family and friends. She said she missed putting on makeup and she missed the green grass.

"I kissed the grass when I got back .  . . the fresh air. I can breathe again," she said. 

Zychowski said there is a lot of camaraderie in her platoon and, contrary to misconception, the different branches of the armed services do get along well.

"We're all fighting for the same reasons," she said.

Zychowski was born in Plantation FL, a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale. She is the youngest of three girls. Her sisters are 
Jennifer and Michelle. She also has a step-sister Samantha Welch, a sophomore at Barrington High School. 

Zychowski graduated from New Trier High School in Winnetka when the family was living in Glenview. The family now lives in Barrington.

Zychowski's family has a history of military service. Her father Mike Zychowski served in the Air Force. Both of her grandfathers fought in World War II -- Edward Zychowski in the Navy and Stanley Bauer in the Army. Her uncle William Bauer is a Navy veteran.


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