During the war in both Afghanistan and Iraq we have been in touch with former Cooperstonian Diane Fetterman, whose oldest son Patrick L. "Lee" Fetterman was, until last Friday, the Battalion commander of the Iron Rakkasans. The mission of the Iron Rakkasans, according to their website is to deploy "...within 36 hours worldwide as part of a joint, multinational or unilateral task force to destroy enemy forces or seize and retain terrain, to control land, people, and resources." And that we gather, from what we have learned from Diane, is just what they have done.

As Lee's time as Battalion Commander drew to a close, he wrote a letter to the wives of the men in the battalion which Diane, who received it from her daughter-in-law, forwarded on to us. After reading it, we wanted to share it in this column and so e-mailed Diane for permission. She contacted Lee and got the following e-mail in return: "Mom, No problem, she can print it. It's not private. Love Lee." Here then, is the letter which Lee wrote.

"Lady Rakkasans,

Please accept my heartfelt thanks for the way you have all pulled together and supported us. We have had some rough combat over here, and can assure you every one of your husbands performed magnificently despite the difficult conditions and the risk inherent in what we have accomplished here. We conducted numerous ground attacks covering the entire length of Iraq. We started in Kuwait and basically drove all the way to where we are now, in the most northern reaches of Iraq.

This is about 1,200 miles through hostile territory. We were the only battalion in the 101st Division to be part of the lead elements of the fight when we were detached to the 3d Infantry Division for the seizure and clearance of Baghdad International Airport, where we fought and destroyed several battalions of Special Republican Guards and were the forward-most element in the United States Army for two days of intense ground combat.

During this time we cleared the airport, a huge historical event. We also cleared three palaces belonging to Saddam Hussein, and the Iraqi version of the Pentagon. The battalion did all of these things without assistance from any other unit. The greatest testament to the skill and dedication of your spouses is that through all of this we suffered just three lightly wounded and were never in a position where we needed reinforcement or assistance, despite fighting and defeating a force that included tanks, artillery, special forces, infantry, and air defense.

After we completed this operation we were tasked to secure Baghdad and assist in the recovery of that city. During this phase we were re-united with 3d Brigade, 101st, and, although 3 ID took great care of us, it was great to be back with the Rakkasans. During this phase, we captured several former regime members and restored order in south central Baghdad. Unfortunately, this decentralized operation proved to be extremely dangerous. We lost one soldier, and we had several injured severely.

We are currently in Northern Iraq, manning the Syrian border, once again forward of all the Untied States forces. Most of what we do now is humanitarian assistance. We are working to restore the border trade and we are helping to rebuild the country. We are also still looking for Saddam Hussein and his cronies.

On June 6th I will surrender command of the Iron Rakkasans. This will be a very sad day for me. It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve with the great men of this battalion in two combat theaters. They are brave, honest, and dedicated. I cannot imagine a unit filled with better men than this one. I know you are all as proud of them as I am. Let me assure you that they are just as proud of you. You have stood by them and supported them so stoutly that they have been able to focus solely on the task at hand, knowing that their loved ones will be there safe when they return. This is the single most important factor in our daily lives over here. We think of you constantly and we anxiously look forward to the day of our reunion with you.

Please accept my personal thanks and admiration as well. I believe it is, in many ways, more difficult to stay at home and worry about what might happen to us than it is to be us and face what comes in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. I know I could never have done what you did nearly as well as the vast majority of you ladies did it. I am in awe of your commitment and the love upon which it's based. Thank you for all you have done for your husbands, the Iron Rakkasans, and the United States. Every one of you deserves a medal as much as the men over here.

Patrick L. Fetterman

LTC, IN

Iron 6"

In closing, we thank Diane for sending us the letter and Lee for allowing us to use it. We were interested in hearing the first hand account and were also most touched by Lee's acknowledgment of and thanks to the wives who stayed behind, undertaking what are always the difficult tasks of watching and waiting. We salute them all.

We remain,

In these Otsego hills,

Where nature smiles,

The Ellsworths

The Ellsworths may be reached by mail at 105 Pioneer Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326, by telephone at 607-547-8124 or by e-mail at cellworth1@stny.rr.com. They look forward to hearing from you.