Education
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 where he pitched for the Army baseball team
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 where he pitched for the Army baseball team
Reich played for the "Team United States of America" baseball team in 1993, and has more wins than any other pitcher in the history of the United States Military Academy. He led the team back to title contention in 1989. Reich was a star pitcher for Army and holds the record for most wins by a West Point pitcher.
"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." Reich was known for his fastball and command, rarely walking a batter. He signed with the Baltimore Orioles organization in 1996 after completing two years of a four-year military commitment, and pitched two games for their Class–A High Desert Mavericks affiliate in that year before being recalled by the Army.
Even after his initial military commitment ended, Reich was a highly touted pitcher, but he chose military service over professional baseball. In 1993, Reich was named to the "Team United States of America" baseball team
He carried the American flag while representing Team United States of America in 1993 at the World University Games.
He made 17 appearances for Team United States of America playing in Italy, Nicaragua and Cuba and at the World University Games. In 1996, Reich was ordered to Germany. He served in Operation Allied Force in Hungary, Bosnia, Albania, and Kosovo.
Reich served four tours of duty in Afghanistan and was killed in action on June 28, 2005 during Operation Red Wings to rescue a four-man Navy Sea, Air, Land team
Reich was one of 16 troops (8 Nightstalkers & 8 Navy SEALs) aboard an Army Special Operations Microbiology and Botany-47 Chinook helicopter that was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan"s Kunar province. This mission was described in the book, Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell.
Reich was assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) from Georgia.
Quotations: "He was one of the best to ever come through here,".