Andre and Zackary Fletcher were the only African-American twins in the Fire Department. Both rushed to the World Trade Center; Andre Fletcher never returned.
"We both have Type A-plus personalities," said Zackary Fletcher, who works at Engine Company 4 in Manhattan. "Anything that reeks of excitement, adventure, and danger. That was us." Andre Fletcher, 37, was a member of Rescue Company 5 in Staten Island.
The son of Jamaican immigrants, Andre Fletcher attended the Bronx High School of Science but later transferred to Brooklyn Technical High School to be near his brother and to play on the sports teams, which Bronx Science did not have. In 1994, both brothers joined the Fire Department. When he learned that the department had no baseball team, Andre Fletcher organized one. On the department football team, both played the same positions: wide receiver and defensive back.
Today, Zackary Fletcher is watching out for Andre's son, Blair, 12. He also talks of dreams, now dashed, that the two brothers had of modeling in tandem for TV commercials. The two had located an agent and were planning a trip to California to sell themselves.
Zackary Fletcher said his parents, Lunsford and Monica, were having a hard time, but it was especially difficult for him: "I miss him more than anyone else."
New York Times
Published: December 26, 2001