The Oldest To Die In Iraq
"He had a big heart."
By Jim Kavanagh
(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.
Maj. Steven Hutchison served 22 years in his first Army stint, then returned at age 57. He died Sunday (5/10/09).
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.
But Hutchison felt compelled to re-enlist after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. His wife, Kandy, vetoed that idea, however.
That decision proved fateful as Hutchison was able to stand by his wife's side through her battle with breast cancer. She died of the disease in January 2006.
The always-athletic Hutchison channeled his grief by whipping himself into shape and returning to active duty at age 57 the following year, his brother said. Military rules say retirees may be recalled up to age 64 for general officers, 62 for warrant officers and 60 for all others.
Hutchison served a tour in Afghanistan and then was sent to Iraq, where he was part of a team training Iraqi forces to secure their own country.
"He's been a soldier his whole life," Richard Hutchison, of Mesa, Arizona, told CNN affiliate KNXV-TV.
"He was a great guy," he told CNN. "We hung around together, we went to the movies together, went out to dinner together. He loved to shoot pool; we used to shoot pool all the time, either at my house or at his house. He was just a great friend and a great brother."
The soldier-psychology professor, who is also survived by two daughters and two half-siblings, had a mischievous side, too.
"He liked to tease me about him being younger than me, even though he was five years older than me," Richard Hutchison said with a soft chuckle. "He would tell everyone he was the youngest one. And they would believe him. Made me feel real good."
Richard Hutchison plans to fly to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware over the weekend to claim his brother's body and return it to Scottsdale for burial.
The last communication the brothers had was a routine e-mail Steven Hutchison sent from Iraq about two weeks ago. He rarely wrote about his experiences in Iraq, Richard Hutchison said.
However, there was one matter on the ground that the soldier involved his brother in.
"When he was in Iraq, they found a dog and were taking care of it. He sent me an e-mail asking me to send some dog food and dog supplies," Hutchison said. The Army made Hutchison's team give up the dog, but they left it in good hands, his brother said.
"He had a big heart."
The single "Help I'm Alive" might sound familiar to you as I notice it has over two-million plays, which I'm not surprised about because its a cool, cool, song. It's sonic, it's chilling. The bridge of the song has a dismal monotone passage that sets up the chorus brilliantly, and screams radio hit. This song leaves me grinning at the thought of Metric getting into a bar brawl with Flyleaf and Paramore, and Metric tossing them around like rag dolls. "Satellite Mind" proves to me that "Metric" is a super group of musicians, who possess stellar minds for experimentation in merging electronic with straight up rock 'n roll. "Gold Guns and Girls" is making me wear out my repeat button. Its addictive. The lyrics of the chorus ask “Is it ever gonna be enough?" - and the answer is no, not right now. I think I need to hear it about 10 more times. But thanks for asking. I especially love the chorus of the very next track, "Gimme Shelter" that also asks you "who would you rather be, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?" Great question isn't it? I dig this band, I think fans of Bjork, Faithless, and DJ Shadow would especially enjoy Metric as well. 
Metric's music has feel, it has atmosphere, there is a groove, and did I also mention that Metric is fronted by the insanely talented Emily Haines? Folks might know her from some of her other projects that include Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton, and also Broken Social Scene. Emily is no stranger to success and the spotlight; she is the daughter of Canadian poet Paul Haines and sister of Canadian television journalist Avery Haines. Her brother Tim Haines is the owner of Bluestreak Records of Ontario, Canada. I strongly urge listeners to plug into the music of Metric and other projects featuring Emily Haines. It's good. It's really good. If you have come here to find about unique bands and truly great music, go to myspace.com/metric, and pay attention to upcoming printed issues of Reviewer Magazine and ReviewerMag.com to hear and see more of this ridiculously talented group of artists.
Emily is the daughter of Canada’s late poet and Jazz lyricist Paul Haines, who passed away in January of 2003, according to his bio on Wikipedia. He was best known for his collaboration with Carla Bley on Escalator Over The Hill.
