Missing soldiers' family unite

A former-stepfather and father got together Saturday for strength and a little laughter, which rarely comes knowing their loved ones are missing in Iraq.

There's a bond between these two men that most can't understand.

Gordon Dibler Jr.'s former-stepson, Army Pvt. Byron Fouty, 19, and Andy Jimenez' 25-year-old son, Spc. Alex Jimenez, were captured May 12 by insurgents after an attack south of Baghdad.

"Just knowing somebody knows what I feel and what I'm going through, that really, really helps," Dibler said Saturday as the two met for the second time.

Jimenez, 53, of Lawrence, Mass., flew to Michigan on Saturday morning and reunited with Dibler at Kalloway's Restaurant and Pub in Oxford before heading off to the Palace of Auburn Hills for a ceremony, prayer vigil and motorcycle ride in honor of the missing soldiers.

Dibler and Jimenez, in conjunction with Jim Sereigo-Wareing, founder of New England Caring for Our Military Inc., organized the event to remember their sons and two other soldiers missing in Iraq -- Spc. Ahmed Altaie of Ann Arbor and Staff Sgt. Keith Maupin of Batavia, Ohio.

Dibler of Oxford and Jimenez first met over the summer when Dibler flew to Massachusetts to help mail care packages to the search team looking for the soldiers, who belonged to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

Fouty grew up in Oakland County and attended Walled Lake Central High School before getting his GED and joining the Army.

Over coffee and bagels Saturday, Dibler and Jimenez flipped through photo albums, patted each other's back and tried to stay upbeat all the while thinking of their missing sons.

Both said it's difficult to focus on daily life.

Jimenez talked of how he accidentally tried storing a phone number in a calculator recently instead of his cell phone. Dibler said he's locked his keys in his truck three times over the past few weeks.

"Focus is gone," Dibler, 49, said. "As soon as I start enjoying something, I feel bad. I immediately go to Byron and Alex and their pain, whatever they're going through.

"How can we know? How can we know?"

Each man wore a picture of the soldiers together, with the words: "Together they serve our nation. Together they will come home."

The picture makes Dibler think of Alex Jimenez as a big brother to his stepson. Jimenez was in his second tour of duty; Fouty had only been in Iraq for four months.

Andy Jimenez prays at church frequently.

"They'll come back. They'll come back," he said.

Sometimes the encouraging letters slow down and loneliness sets in.

"When I talk to you, it gives me a lot of strength," Jimenez told Dibler. "I don't feel alone."

Jimenez waits for the day that he can embrace his son and look into Fouty's eyes.

"I want to tell Byron, 'You're my new son,' " he said.

He turned to Dibler.

"And you can say that to Alex."

Dibler nodded: "Oh, absolutely."

Contact BEN SCHMITT at 313-223-4296 or bcschmitt@freepress.com.

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