Letter to the Bergen County Record from MFSO member John Fenton

March 2nd, 2007

While reading the story of John Wroblewski's travels to Iraq to attempt to see where his son died ("Father pays priceless tribute," Page L-1, Feb. 25), I was struck by the similarities between his loss and my own. Struck by the similarities and also by the differences.

We are both 54 years old and both our sons died in Al Anbar province doing what they wanted to be doing. His son John was killed less than two months after being deployed to Iraq while my son Matthew was killed after only six weeks. A picture of a street sign with the name of his son on it was included in the article. I have been informed by officials of Little Ferry that they will name a street after Matthew also.

Wroblewski mentions seeing a helicopter landing at the Baghdad hospital where his son was brought and where he died. I also saw helicopters landing at Bethesda, unloading severely injured soldiers. And I of course watched my son die there. I am not completely sure, but I believe that I met Mr. Wroblewski at my son's wake and he had very kind words for me at that time. It is partly because of him that I have gone to wakes of the other Marines who have been killed from this area. We both share the hope that no more American soldiers are injured or killed.

How best to accomplish this goal is where we part company. One of my treasures is an autographed copy of Cindy Sheehan's book "Not One More Mother's Child." I have joined Military Families Speak Out, a group that supports the troops and not the president. You can support one and not the other. Iraqis have never attacked us, but I am sure that a lot of them might now. This war is out of control and we need to bring our kids home alive. As for Mr. Wroblewski I wish him all the best. I hope that his trip gave him some relief.

John Fenton

Little Ferry, Feb. 26

The writer is the father of Marine Sgt. Matthew J. Fenton, who was killed in Iraq.