Darren Barber has always been one of those guys who had big plans for himself. And unlike a lot of us, Barber didn’t let anything get in the way of his attempt to see those plans through.
Barber always wanted to serve his country in the military. So while he was living in Korea — more on that later — 2½ years ago, he signed up.
“They had a two-man recruiting station,” the 43-year-old Barber said by phone from Fort Lewis, Wash., where he is stationed and getting ready for his second tour in Iraq. “They had upped the age limit for new soldiers to 41. I was one of few hundred that actually went through.
“I had to pass a weeklong physical exam to make sure I was physically ready for basic training. I’m still in pretty good shape. I can still run with the 20-years-olds.
“I always wanted to join. I had a long talk with my wife. She thought I crazy at first. But I had to go at it 100 percent.
“She told me, ‘They’ll probably send you to Iraq.’ I consider it an honor. I am really privileged that I got this chance to serve in the military.”
Barber, a 1984 Lanphier High School graduate who was a six-time state qualifier in track and earned all-state honors in 1984 when he placed fourth in the 110-meter high hurdles, eighth in the long jump and ninth in the triple jump, has made rapid growth as a soldier. He has worked his way up the ladder to 13 Bravo (artillery/infantry) Ammo Team Chief and Bravo Team Leader for infantry.
“One good thing about being in the Army,” Barber said. “They actually pay me to stay in shape. I’m up at 5 a.m. and run four to eight miles three times a week before 8 a.m. It helps keep me young.”
In 2007, shortly after Barber arrived in Washington, his unit was deployed to Iraq. He spent 10 months there.
“We had a few close ones,” Barber said. “We lost three guys in our battery. Some other guys got injured.”
When Barber returns to the battlefront, things will be different.
“I’m not scared,” he said. “I was scared the first time. I know what we’re getting into. I know the missions.
“I’m expected to be a leader now. I’m more worried that my solders are ready to go. They are trained. They need to keep their situational awareness. You have to be ready to go at any time.”
If you are a person who has bitten by the wanderlust bug, Barber is your guy. Just about everything he has thought about doing, he has completed.
Barber got a scholarship to run track at Illinois State University out of Lanphier, and he attended ISU for one year before returning to Lincoln Land to fulfill the requirements for an associate’s degree. Then it was off to Eastern Illinois, where he competed in track for two years.
“I wish I would have gone there first,” Barber said.
He competed in three outdoor seasons and two indoor seasons for the Panthers. He just missed qualifying for the NCAA championships in the decathlon.
In 1989, Barber accepted a graduate assistantship to Southern Illinois University-Carbondale to work for coach Bill Cornell.
“Before the year was up, I was offered a paid assistant position,” he said.
He was at SIU from 1989-93, and during his time there he worked with two-time NCAA champion Darrin Plab, and he recruited future Olympian Cameron Wright to SIU.
“It was a great time,” Barber said. “I got to be a part of three Missouri Valley Conference indoor and two outdoor championship teams. We were 20th in the NCAA outdoors one year.”
He moved to Pennsylvania in 1993 — “With no job,” he said — and did some high school teaching. He spent one year coaching the jumps and pole vault at Dickinson College. He moved to Lexington, Ky., and spent some time with some relatives, but there was more he wanted to do.
“I always wanted to travel overseas,” Barber said. “By chance, I picked up a book and there was this story about how people with teaching certificates were needed overseas.
“I applied for (positions) in Japan, Korea and China. Japan and Korea called. I went to Korea to teach English. I really liked it. I stayed 12 years. I was going to do a year or two and come back home.
“I met my wife (Yeon Hwa) in Seoul, Korea. I figured, “Why not stay?’”
Darren and Yeon Hwa Barber have a 9-year-old daughter, Savannah.
But Darren Barber didn’t just teach English while he was in Korea. For recreation, Barber and a couple of other ex-patriots started playing football. Finding enough guys to play became a problem, so they started a league with four teams in 2002. Even though Barber is gone, the league is going strong with 16 teams.
He also played a little of what the rest of the world calls football. Barber was a soccer goalkeeper for a top team in Korea for eight years.
“We went to a tournament in China, where we were bowl champions,” Barber said. “We played in the Philippines. I played for a different Korean team in the Korea FA Cup. We made it to the second round.”
Barber is considering making the Army his career. He has 3½ years left on the six-year commitment he made. But if another plan comes to mind, it’s a good bet that Barber will take it to the limit. He’s done that with everything else so far.