IN-iraq-ARCHIVE

(Sergeant First Class Steven J. Chevalier, photo courtesy of Charlie Co. 2nd/327th)

I only knew Sergeant First Class Steven J. Chevalier, 35, of Flint Michigan for about a week. I didn’t know what kind of man he was in the States. I didn't know what kind of father he was to his two daughters. I caught a glimpse of what kind of soldier he was in Iraq.

I went up to Samarra to cover Charlie company of the 2nd/327th Infantry stationed at Patrol Base Olsen. Samarra was notorious for insurgents and Olsen for characters who fit the patrol base's quirky structure, a former casino or a “s--- hole” as some called it. SFC Chevalier, or “Chevy” as he was known, wore tinted ballistic glasses and carried a posture of a sergeant used to being listened to. I tried to stay out of his way. But he was 3rd Squad's platoon leader so he was pretty much everywhere.

It was apparent from the beginning he was a stickler, he was in charge, he was easy to anger and always coaching younger soldiers.

On the second day at Olsen, we went out on what was supposed to be a coordinated mission with the Iraqi Police. The police mission never happened because the Iraqis didn’t know the U.S. soldiers were coming to get them. Sgt. Chevalier grumbled that if they knew when the mission was going to happen, they might end up with multiple IED attacks against them.

We went out to a Sons of Iraq checkpoint instead, and SFC Chevy pointed out how far the neighborhood of Qadasia had come. He was genuinely proud of the T-walls his guys had stood up, of the Sons of Iraq they visited every week. He talked, spreading his arms, of what Charlie Company had done for the city.

Barbed wire and trash was still strewn over many neighborhoods, but on the way back to Olsen, Chevy wanted me to see all the shops that had opened and stayed open into the night, meaning the city was safe enough to have lifted the curfew.

He was the kind of guy who didn't hold back on what he believed. One night when I was in the tight quarters he shared with Lt. Erich Almonte interviewing the lieutenant, he kept jumping in with his own opinions and ideas.

“An 18-year old kid in the Army has more experience than a 21-year old has on the streets,” Chevy said.

“They see a dose of reality. Good times and hard times. I got privates with master’s degrees, privates who aren’t citizens. Some have two combat tours and are not even 20-years old.”

“I still get calls from soldiers, emails over here,” Chevy said. “I’ve known them for eight years and they ask for help. Some guys can’t talk to their family like they can talk to me.”

Chevy talked about how the top company gets put in the worst area. He said that Charlie had had more training because they knew they were coming to Samarra, and that the previous unit the 82nd Airborne had taken a lot of casualties. “We were told not to accept failure,” Chevy said.

He offered his opinions about T-walls, “it’s actually what the people want.”

He told me how they came across a woman whose days-old infant was sick. “It would have been easy to tell the mother just to go to the hospital, but we actually took them there,” he said.

Charlie Company from what I heard, had not taken any casualties during their nine months in Samarra. And then SFC Chevy’s vehicle got hit by a grenade last Wednesday, July 9th. He was airlifted and died in the hospital at Joint Base Balad. That’s all I know. The Department of Defense does not provide many details.

He told me he had 14 years in the Army and four years as a platoon sergeant.

SFC Chevy was just a soldier. He had participated in over 300 combat patrols, over 30 raids, found eight weapons caches, found 10 IEDs, called in Medivac helicopters for nine Soldiers and Iraqi Security Forces, twice under fire, according to Lt. Almonte.

One of his men, Sgt. Eric Shaw of Maine, told me Chevalier had seen some of the most intense fighting in the war that any of them had heard of. He was on his third tour here.

The soldier memorial for SFC Chevalier in Iraq is on Tuesday. He is survived by his mother, his aunt, his brother, and his two daughters- Ashley and Alishia, Lt. Almonte said.

Here’s what some of his soldiers and colleagues said about him:

No matter how bad I would mess up, he always stood behind me. PVT Jesse Ball.

"Angry Steve" as we knew him because of his ill mannered temper, which really was just who he was and not bad at all. He said he improved on his attitude since being in Samarra. He called it “grussfaba” or something like that, out of humor. SFC Ensley

SFC Chevalier was one of best platoon sergeants I have worked for. He was strong of character and of will, and it was an honor to have known him. SPC Weinstein, Michael J

SFC Chevy has impacted our lives in ever way, he has shown true leadership and how to do our jobs right. He will never be forgotten and his memory will live through us. SPC McKenzie

SFC Chevy always put his trust and confidence in me as his Squad leader, never doubting or second guessing me. He gave me the confidence to be a great leader. SGT Andrew Hayes.

SFC Chevalier was a man who's name could be pronounced correctly by few; however no one will forget the sacrifices he made for his platoon and company. I won't be getting anymore blind mau-tai flying jump kicks to the back of legs anymore, but I will carry with me a friendship that has grown over the last year and half that I can never forget. 1st LT Todd Baldwin.