Sports Heroes Who Served is a series that highlights the accomplishments of athletes who served in the U.S. military.
Army Maj. Stephen C. Reich was the star baseball pitcher at Shepaug Valley High School in Washington, Connecticut. The left-hander led the varsity baseball team to a state championship in 1987 where he pitched and won the championship game. He led the team back to title contention in 1989.
Coming out of high school, Reich was a highly touted pitching prospect, but he chose the military over professional baseball.
Reich attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he pitched for the Army baseball team. Reich still holds Army records for career strikeouts (259) and strikeouts in a seven-inning game (17, versus Air Force). He also tied the academy standard for strikeouts in a nine-inning contest, fanning 17 batters in his final collegiate contest. Additionally, Reich stands second on the career innings pitched ledger (260.2). Reich posted a career record of 19-10, while crafting a 2.49 earned run average. His win total stands tied for fifth on Army's career chart while his ERA lists sixth.
Reich was at his best in service academy contests, where he forged an unblemished 6-0 mark in six starts, while pitching to a 1.71 ERA. He was 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA over his career against Navy. He earned a plethora of accolades during his time in the "Black, Gold and Gray." He was a three-time league all-star and became the first Black Knight to be named Patriot League Pitcher of the Year (1993). A freshman All-American in 1990, Reich was tabbed first-team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference and first-team Northeast All-American in 1993. He was selected to play for Team USA following graduation and also spent a brief stint in the Baltimore Orioles farm system.
"He was one of the best to ever come through here," said Bob Beretta, a spokesman for the Army baseball team. "When we say someone here is the best since, it's always the best since Steve Reich."
He graduated from the academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Arabic and Spanish, and received his commission in 1993. In 1994, he attended the Aviation Officer Basic Course and Initial Entry Rotary Wing training.
After receiving a UH-60 Blackhawk transition in 1996, he was ordered to Germany where he served as Platoon Leader in Company A, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment. During his subsequent tour with the 12th Aviation Brigade he served in Operation Allied Force, deploying to Hungary, Bosnia, Albania, and Kosovo.
Returning from Germany in 2000, Reich attended the Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, followed by the Combined Arms Services Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon arrival to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), he was assigned to 2nd Battalion and later deployed to Afghanistan in October 2001 as battle captain in support of Task Force Dagger. In December 2001, he served as operations officer for 2nd Battalion's detachment of MH-47E aircraft in Afghanistan.
He commanded Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion from February 2002 through May 2003. Reich then completed a one-year assignment to Daegu, South Korea as the operations officer for E Company, 160th SOAR(A). He took command of B Company, 3rd Battalion, 160th SOAR(A), Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia on Aug. 5, 2004.
Reich died June 28, 2005, in eastern Afghanistan when his MH-47D Chinook Helicopter was shot down by enemy fire while on a rescue mission in Kunar province. He and 15 others on that aircraft were killed.