Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier, 35, of Flint, Mich.

SFC Chevalier was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died July 9, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained in Samarra, Iraq, when his patrol was struck by a grenade.

Aunt: Soldier killed in Iraq was natural leader
The Associated Press

FLINT, Mich. — Family members say a Fort Campbell soldier killed in Iraq was a natural leader.

Sgt. Steven J. Chevalier of Flint, Mich., was killed Wednesday in a grenade attack in Iraq.

The Defense Department said the 35-year-old Chevalier (sha-vel-EE’-ay) was on patrol in Samarra when the grenade hit his vehicle.

His aunt, Carole Miller, said her nephew was “always concerned” about the men under his command. She told the Flint Journal that “He wouldn’t expect his men to do anything he wouldn’t do.”

Miller said Chevalier didn’t talk much about his overseas assignments when he was home because he wanted to protect his two daughters.

Other survivors include Chevalier’s wife, Geneva, and his mother, Dorothy Carol Chevalier.

Steven Chevalier was part of the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. He was based at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.

The Flint Journal -- FLINT, Michigan -- Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier was a career soldier and a born leader, family members said.

Chevalier, 35, a Flint native, died Wednesday in a grenade attack in Iraq. He was in the midst of his third tour in Iraq with the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, Ky.

"He was always concerned (about his men)," said his aunt, Carole Miller of Flint. "He wouldn't expect his men to do anything he wouldn't do."

The Defense Department said Chevalier was on patrol in Samarra when the grenade hit his vehicle.

Chevalier joined the Army in 1991 shortly after he graduated from Powers Catholic High School.

His brother, Brian Chevalier, said Steven could not find work in Flint, so he signed up to be a soldier. He had been stationed all over the world, including Afghanistan, Korea and Fort Benning, Ga.

Despite his time with the Army, family said he didn't talk much about his assignments, especially those overseas.

"I guess we just didn't think about it as being dangerous, or we didn't realize what he was involved in," Miller said. "He didn't go into a lot of detail about that."

Family said he especially wanted to protect his daughters, Ashley, 12, and Alishia, 8.

When home, Chevalier spent as much time as possible with the girls, doing everything from roller-skating to shows to attending their dance recitals.

"He was concerned for them and wanted to make sure they did well," Miller said. "He wanted them to go on to college."

Family members spent time with Chevalier about three months ago when he was home on leave.

Miller said she'll always remember him as a very kind man. "He was just normally an easygoing, friendly type of fellow," she said.

Besides his brother and daughters, Chevalier leaves behind his wife, Geneva, and his mother, Dorothy Carol Chevalier of Flint.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier was killed in action on 7/09/08.