Soldier's fighting spirit never grew old

(CNN) -- 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 wasn'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.

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. 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 re-enlist after the terrorist attacks of September 11. His wife, Kandy, vetoed that idea, however.