Puppy of Iraq War's Oldest Fallen Soldier Safe in States

Puppy of Iraq War's Oldest Fallen Soldier Safe in States
by Helena Sung

Aug 13th 2009 3:00PM
We love happy endings, so when we read this heartwarming Los Angeles Times story about a soldier and the stray dog he came to love, we had to share it.

When Major Steven Hutchison was killed while serving in Iraq, he was, at 60, the oldest American casualty in either of the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. His unit, who had come to love him like a father, devised a unique way to honor their fallen leader -- and it involved a puppy.

Why join the Army again?

Hutchison had enlisted in the Army in 1966, served two tours in Vietnam and was awarded a Bronze Star before retiring in 1988. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks he wanted to return to active military duty, but his wife Kandy Rhode wouldn't hear of it.
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Puppy of Iraq Wars Oldest Fallen Soldier Safe in States

Vietnam Vet killed while serving in Iraq

Riley soldier, 60, oldest to die in Iraq

By Amanda Lee Myers - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 15, 2009 9:40:40 EDT

PHOENIX — A 60-year-old Vietnam War veteran killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq has become the oldest Army soldier to die in that conflict, the military said Thursday.

Maj. Steven Hutchison, of Scottsdale, Ariz., served in Vietnam and wanted to re-enlist immediately after the 9/11 terror attacks, but his wife was against it, his brother said.

Richard Hutchison told The Associated Press on Thursday that when she died, “a part of him died” so he signed up in July 2007 at age 59.

“He was very devoted to the service and to his country,” Richard Hutchison said.

He described him as a great big brother and friend. “I didn’t want him to go,” he said through tears, adding that he loved his brother “so much.”

The Pentagon said Steven Hutchison was killed in Iraq on Sunday. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nathan Banks said Thursday that Hutchison was the oldest Army soldier killed in Iraq.

An Associated Press database of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan shows that Hutchison is the oldest member of any service branch killed since the wars broke out.
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Riley soldier, 60, oldest to die in Iraq


Soldier's fighting spirit never grew old
Story Highlights
Army Maj. Steven Hutchison, 60, becomes oldest American killed in Iraq

Hutchison retired after 22-year Army career, then re-enlisted years later

Psychology professor served tours in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq

During interim, he stood by wife during her fight against cancer

By Jim Kavanagh
CNN


(CNN) -- Army Maj. Steven Hutchison fought battles in the jungles of Vietnam. Then he fought an epic battle on the home front. And at age 60, he still wasn't done fighting for his country.

The battle ended for Hutchison on Sunday. He died in Basra, Iraq, of wounds from a roadside bomb in Al Farr. He is the oldest U.S. service member to die in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Hutchison joined the Army in 1966 and served two one-year tours in Vietnam, according to a news release from Fort Riley, Kansas, home of Hutchison's 1st Infantry Division, the famous "Big Red One."

Over the next 22 years, he was a platoon leader in Germany and commander of a basic training company at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Along the way, he earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of Delaware and became an assistant professor of military science at Claremont College in California. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal, among others.

Hutchison retired from the military in 1988 and took up the quiet life of a college professor. He taught at several small colleges in California and became a researcher for a health care company in Scottsdale, Arizona, said his brother, Richard Hutchison.
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/15/oldest.iraq.fatality/