Army dad follows Marine son to war in Iraq
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jul 5, 2007 11:29:41 EDT

NORTHWOOD, N.H. — A Northfield father worried about a son deployed to Iraq got the peace of mind he sought by following him to war.

Army Reserve Master Sgt. Bob Fletcher, 49, left for a yearlong tour in March so he could be near 22-year-old Daniel Fletcher, a sergeant in the Marines who is on his second tour in Iraq.

The Fletchers now are stationed about 25 miles apart — Bob in Baghdad, where he helps coordinate rebuilding efforts, and Daniel at Al Taqaddum, a base just outside the city.

“It’s good to know that he’s only 40 kilometers away as opposed to 6,000 miles away,” Bob Fletcher said. “I feel a lot more confident meeting his team and seeing where he’s at. I feel a lot more comfortable and at ease.”

Suzanna Fletcher said at first she was ambivalent about her husband’s decision to go to Iraq.

“I was definitely on the fence,” she said. Suzanna and Bob married in 1994 and have two sons, Bobby, 10, and Max, 5. They also have five children, aged 18 to 24, from previous marriages.

“I was looking at losing my husband for a year-and-a-half, and he has small children and I have an extremely busy life,” Suzanna Fletcher said.

She said her husband enthusiastically sought deployment to Iraq, waiving a 30-day notice so he could be sent overseas quicker and listed his top reason for going to Iraq as: “My son is going back for a second tour, and I want to be there.”

“That’s how he expresses his love,” Fletcher said of her husband. “Through his actions.”

She said her own fears were alleviated after meeting some of her husband’s military colleagues before their deployment. She said she saw how dedicated they are.

Bob Fletcher, who was filled with anxiety during his son’s first Iraq tour in 2005, said he feels much better now that he’s close by.

“It was very difficult to have my son in harm’s way and be stuck at home on the sidelines,” he said. “I’m proud of my son and I’m honored to serve with him in Iraq.”

Daniel Fletcher gave a lighthearted response to his father’s deployment, writing in an e-mail, “It’s about time he came and joined me,” he joked from Iraq.

The younger Fletcher deployed to Iraq in February. He got married just before leaving for Iraq. His wife, Bethany, 21, is a student at the University of New Hampshire. She said the separation is difficult but also makes her appreciate their relationship.

“We can honestly say that we’ll never take time with each other for granted,” she said.

Ellie