Hometown: Moultrie, GA
Branch: U.S. Army 
Unit: Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA
Military Honors: Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: June 10, 2008 - KIA in Baghdad, Iraq
Age: 23
Conflict: Iraq War, 2003-2011

Steve McCoy was born in Bossier City, Louisiana, and later moved with his family to the town of Moultrie in southern Georgia. There he attended Colquitt County High School, where he participated in the Junior ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) program.

ROTC program director Lt. Col. Paul Nagy recalled, “He’s one of the best kids I ever had. He’s got a real good sense of humor. We enjoyed having him in ROTC. He worked very, very hard for us. He did virtually everything. He was just very dedicated and worked very hard.”

After graduating from high school, McCoy enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2004 and was stationed at Fort Stewart, near Savannah, Georgia. His wife Tabitha said, “We’ve been together since the 10th grade, and I’ve known from day one that he would join. This was something he was born to do, and he was going to do it.”

A year earlier, on March 20, 2003, the United States had launched Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of the War on Terror—a response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Operation Iraqi Freedom was a coalition of nations led by the U.S., with the goal of removing dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime and destroying its ability to use weapons of mass destruction or make them available to terrorists worldwide.

After Steve and Tabitha welcomed twins Landen and Ryley to the family, his first deployment to Iraq came in January of 2005 as an infantryman. He was quickly promoted to the rank of Sergeant, and in October of 2007, McCoy deployed again with Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

While on patrol in southern Baghdad on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008, McCoy’s Bradley armored vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. Four of his fellow soldiers were killed instantly, and Sgt. McCoy suffered burns on over 90 percent of his body. He was flown to a military hospital in Frankfurt, Germany, and later transferred to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

On June 10, 2008, at age 23, McCoy succumbed to his wounds. Sgt. Steve A. McCoy had planned on a life of service to his country, according to his wife, Tabitha. “He was going to reenlist again. That’s what he was born to do. Some people were born to do certain things, and this was for him. He’s a great leader.”

For his selfless service to his country, Sgt. McCoy was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Sources
Details submitted by John Heitou Morrell, Sgt. McCoy’s brother.
Artist’s rendering: Craig Du Mez
The Moultrie Observer: Sgt. McCoy’s body returned for services
Valdosta Daily Times: Moultrie man wounded in Baghdad
Military Times, Honor the Fallen: Army Sgt. Steve A. McCoy
The National Gold Star Family Registry: SGT Steve Aaron McCoy
Beggs Funeral Home (obituary): Steve McCoy
Lincoln Journal Star, 20-Jul-2008: Sgt. Steve A. McCoy
Wichita Eagle 17-Aug-2022: Steve A. McCoy
Congressional Research Service—Operation Iraqi Freedom: Strategies, Approaches, Results, and Issues for Congress
Burial Site: Find a Grave