NSWC IHEODTD, Indian Head MD –
For Dasha Fletcher, diversity is not just a concept – it is a way of life. Born to Czech-German parents and immigrating to the United States as a child, she has made a point to not only highlight others’ differences, but also celebrate, nurture and, in some cases, help to resolve them.
“My passion is people,” Fletcher said. “I have always been active in work-life balance and have tried to bring my own brand of tolerance, communication and empathy to the command.”
Fletcher’s main position with Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division is an accountant in the Comptroller Department. There, she is responsible for working with business financial managers to review every open account in the system.
“I love seeing binary results,” Fletcher said. “I love making sure the books are clean and everything is audit-ready.”
Despite the rank of her current position, Fletcher said she began her Department of Navy career as a clerk.
“I have been with the Navy for 33 years and NSWC for 15,” Fletcher said. “I started out as a clerk and eventually worked my way up to my current position. I had just become a mother when I first began working for the Navy and they ended up paying for me to get my credentials in accounting. I got to my current job one class at a time.”
Fletcher loves the work she does and credits her coworkers with helping her through the most tumultuous time in her life – the death of her son.
“Last August, I lost my son Jiri to a fentanyl overdose. He was 23,” Fletcher said. “He was born with a maxillofacial deformity that required surgery in 2013 and he became addicted to the Percocet he was prescribed. For five years, my family’s lives were turned upside down – I constantly worried if I would lose my security clearance, I was taking months off of work and my husband ended up losing his private sector job due to him constantly needing to take off and help our son. Through it all, though, my coworkers in Comptroller were always willing to pick up the workload when I had to help Jiri and I am eternally grateful for that.”
Fletcher also credits the Navy’s Civilian Employee Assistance Program (CEAP) with helping her through her son’s death.
“I am not kidding when I say CEAP saved my life,” Fletcher said. “As a Navy employee, I was entitled to 10, one-hour counseling sessions that helped me to accept what happened to Jiri and grieve. I don’t know where I would be now if I didn’t have that.”
In addition to her job as an accountant, Fletcher also serves on the command’s Equal Employment Opportunity Diversity and Inclusion Council. Her term will end in 2020, but she said she is more than willing to come back if asked. In this position, she makes it her mission to end the silence around addiction.
“Addiction is a complicated issue,” Fletcher said. “People tend to look at someone who is an addict and think of them as a ‘junkie’ but they are all too often our friends, neighbors or even children. It can happen to anyone.”
Outside of the command, Fletcher is active in her goal to end the opioid epidemic and uses her son’s example to show that addiction can happen to those from all walks of life. This includes lobbying efforts on the state and national level, as well as grassroots volunteering with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and Parents Affected by Addiction (PABA).
“PABA has been working with the sheriff’s office and created a Heroin Overdose Prevention Effort, or HOPE, trailer,” Fletcher said. “We created this mock-setup of a heroin addict’s home, which allows parents and members of the community over the age of 21 to see for themselves the signs of someone who may have an opioid addiction. The HOPE Trailer has been brought to many different community events, including the 2018 Charles County Fair and I would love to bring it on base for everyone here to see. It may be a shocking experience to go through the 20-minute tour of the HOPE Trailer, but I feel it is necessary for everyone to see this reality so they can learn the signs heroin addiction and hopefully save an addict.”
Though she will be eligible for retirement in three years, Fletcher said she has no plans on slowing down and will instead start telling her son’s story full time.
“I want everyone who may be suffering in silence from their own or a loved one’s addiction to know they are not alone,” Fletcher said. “We can only stop this opioid epidemic by talking to, understanding and helping one another. I do this so that no other parent has to go through the pain I went through. If anyone needs to talk to someone about addiction, I am always willing to listen.”