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, 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.    ….more