Minnesota father, son celebrate 1st Father's Day miles apart

BLAINE, Minn. (KMSP) - A Blaine, Minn. father spent his first Father’s Day thousands of miles away from his son. But thanks to FaceTime, the two shared some memorable moments Sunday afternoon.

Sgt. Bryan Minsencik of the 851st Vertical Engineer Company in the Minnesota National Guard left for Croatia on June 4. Minsencik is in Croatia to help re-build a school. The Minnesota National Guard has partnered with Croatia — for twenty years now — to rebuild places in need.

However, Minsencik’s goodwill meant he was separated from his son, Leo, on their first Father’s Day.

“It’s just amazing to see him,” Minsencik said while chatting with his son and wife on FaceTime. “I just can’t wait to get him and hold him.”

Minsencik learned that he missed a major development in Leo’s life: the ability to stand on his own. But the father happily watched his son play with a toy hammer, saying “he’s going to grow up to be an engineer like me some day.”