Published: July 13, 2008 10:44 pm            

Local soldier heads to Iraq

It hasn’t even been a year since Sgt. Matthew Fisher returned from serving in Iraq.

But the 26-year-old Army reservist from Tunnel Hill, once again said goodbye to his wife Elizabeth and 4-year-old son Jacob and left for Iraq.

Fisher has been deployed with the 591st Transportation Detachment in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Army Reserve unit’s farewell ceremony was Sunday afternoon in Chattanooga. Specific details of the soldier’s departure and where they will be stationed in Iraq is not made public for security reasons.

“The hardest part is being away from my wife and son,” Fisher said Saturday evening while preparing for his second tour in Iraq. “When I left for my last deployment (in 2006), (Jacob) had just turned 2. I got home and he was talking in full sentences and had grown up so much. This time he will be at least 5 when I get home. It’s really rough.”

In 2005, the Fishers moved from his hometown near Branson, Missouri to Whitfield County to be closer to her family. He was part of a Missouri Reserve unit at the time.

The couple had been in Whitfield County six months when Fisher was deployed with the Missouri unit.

“And then I came home in September and transferred to this unit in March,” said Fisher, who works in corporate maintenance at Shaw.

Fisher’s specialty in the Reserves is coordinating air shipments, which was his focus while in Iraq previously.

“I can’t talk about the mission this time,” he said. “I enjoy what I do. I get really focused on the mission and get a sense of accomplishment when I’m over there. It’s really fulfilling.”

Elizabeth Fisher admits not having her husband at home is hard.

“You have your emotional days,” she said. “You have to understand that it’s part of being in the military. One thing that makes me OK is knowing what he is doing for his country. It makes me full of pride.”

Preparing to be away from each other is the hardest part, the Fishers said.

“I think the hardest week is the week before they leave,” Elizabeth Fisher said. “You’re trying to get everything in that you would like to do together in a year.”

The Fishers celebrated their five-year wedding anniversary two months early with a trip to where they got married in Savannah.

Stacy Thomas, a 2006 graduate of Southeast High School, who is also part of the Chattanooga unit was trying to do everything he wanted with his wife, Courtney and soon-to-be 1-year-old son, Landon.

Thomas, a 20-year-old private first class, took two weeks of vacation from his job as a correction officer in Walker County’s state prison so he and his wife could spend time together.

Thomas joined the Reserves in November of 2006 knowing he would eventually be deployed.

“But it came a little sooner than I expected,” he said. We’re in a time of war. Everybody’s got to take their turn over there. We’re going over there to take care of business and get back home to our families.”

Thomas isn’t sure what to expect when he gets to Iraq, but says he and some of the other younger members of the unit are relying on the experience of older members. The unit was deployed to Kuwait as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004.

“They’ve been there and done that, and, of course, I take their advice on whatever they say,” Thomas said.

Elizabeth Fisher advises families of soldiers overseas to not be afraid to ask for help.

“I know what helps for a lot is the family readiness group,” she said. “That group consists of family members that stay behind. So while they’re away the group works as a support group for the families. For families that are new to this, you really have to rely on fellow spouses and families going through the same thing.”

Staying in touch as much as possible also helps. The Fishers try to e-mail each other at least once a week and look forward to the occasional phone call.

“Prayer too,” Matthew Fisher added. “I think prayer is a really important thing. It helped me when I was over there last time.”

        

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