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by Bryan Harmon
For months that turned into years, "closure" was all Zack Fletcher could hope for in the death of his twin brother in the Sept. 11. terror attacks.
Then, when it became clear that New York City Firefighter Andre Fletcher's remains would never be found, Zack focused on a different approach - "Never forget."
His resolve to keep the memory of his brother alive will be rewarded tomorrow when part of New York Ave. in Freeport is renamed Fire Marshal Andre Fletcher Way.
The 1 p.m. ceremony will be attended by friends and family of the Freeport native, along with local officials and firefighters from New York, New Jersey and across Long Island.
"We never ever found him. Nothing was ever identified. It's like there's no closure," said Zack, who also is a fireman and was a teammate of his brother's on the FDNY football team. "This - the street naming - will memorialize him."
Andre Fletcher, 37, a member of Rescue 5 in Staten Island, died in the first tower collapse at the World Trade Center. He was last seen helping people who had been working in the doomed building escape the carnage.
Zack last spoke to his brother on a cell phone the morning of 9/11.
Andre was speeding over the Verrazano Bridge toward the burning towers while Zack was driving in Brooklyn, wondering what was causing all the smoke over Manhattan.
"I asked him about the smoke, and he said, 'Are you ... kidding me? Turn on the radio,'" Zack Fletcher, 40, said. "I told him I'd be there soon, to work with him. I said, 'Don't be stupid. Don't be a hero.'"
Andre Fletcher will forever be a hero in the eyes of Frank Sutphin and his son, Daniel, of Bradley Beach, N.J. Sutphin remembers well a spring 2000 visit to Fletcher's firehouse, when Fletcher gave Daniel, then 9, a 45-minute tour of the fire truck.
"He was so nice. The guy made the day for my son," Sutphin said.
Andre, who also served as a volunteer firefighter in Freeport and North Babylon, left behind a son, Blair, now 12, and a wife, Lori, whom he had separated from. Mother and son live in North Babylon.
Andre Fletcher's dad, Lonnie, recalled the no-quit attitude his son lived by.
"I could see him dashing into that tower. He was always an 'I can do it' type of person," said Lonnie Fletcher of Freeport. "You couldn't tell him 'You can't do it.' He'd just prove you wrong.
"He was a very good son, and a very good father to his son."
Zack Fletcher said that coping without his twin hasn't been easy.
"I still expect him to walk through the door one of these days. It's still like a bad dream," he said. "The street dedication will help. What he did was a very selfless act. This will make people never forget."
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