The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center dedicated a conference room in the Russian schoolhouse March 6, 2025, to Pfc. Maddie Fletcher, a Russian language student who was killed late last year in a hit-and-run.
“Today, as we rename this conference room in her honor, we affirm that Maddie Fletcher’s story does not end here,” said Elen Meliksetyan, Fletcher’s Russian instructor, during the dedication ceremony. “From this moment forward, her name will be present in a space where ideas are shared, decisions are made, and the future of this institute is shaped.”
“The Fletcher Conference Room will stand as an everlasting reminder of the impact she had to all of those in the Russian Schoolhouse, 229th MI Battalion, and DLIFLC,” said Lt. Col. Benjamin Griffin, commander of the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion.
Earlier in the day, Michael and Ginger Fletcher, Maddie’s parents, as well as her sister Sarah, accepted a posthumous diploma during a DLIFLC graduation ceremony for Fletcher’s classmates.