A Soldier’s Story // 12min // Documentary // 2015 // USA
Director: Loren Mendell
Writer: Laura Mickelson
A small town, stand-out athlete is called to duty for our country, while the Big League beckons. Baseball was a big dream, but it always came second place to military service. A Soldier’s Story is about Major Stephen Reich an incredible athlete, and American military hero who passed-up a Major League baseball career to return to active duty then tragically paid the ultimate price.
Major Steve Reich was the Commander of the Operations Red Wings counter insurgent attempted rescue mission in Kundar Province of Afghanistan in 2005, involving four members of the US Navy Seals, depicted in the feature film Lone Survivor. Prior to his career in the military, Major Steve Reich was three-sport athlete in high school and an all-Star pitcher for Army’s West Point academy on the path pitching in the major leagues then, the military called. Major Stephen Reich never expressed regret that his promising professional baseball career lasted only two games for a Baltimore Orioles farm team before the Army summoned him back to active duty. “When the Army said they couldn’t spare him, that was it,” there was no argument from Stephen, Sue Reich. Baseball was a big dream, but it always came second place to the service. A Soldier’s Story is about an incredible athlete, and American military hero who passed-up a Major League baseball career to return to active duty then tragically paid the ultimate price.