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 return to military service after the terrorist attacks of September 11 . 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
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- 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 was n'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 . 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 .