Man at work

Image courtesy: U.S. Army

Spc. Steven Bishop was a hard worker. Whether processing scrap metal in Roanoke, Virginia, or helping build roads and schools in Tal Afar, Iraq, Spc. Bishop quietly did his job, remaining calm even the under intense war zone pressure.

According to the Pentagon, Bishop died Saturday in Tikrit while supporting combat operations. The Roanoke Times reports that the soldier became ill while serving and succumbed to the unspecified medical condition. A fellow soldier spoke with reporter Jorge Valencia about Bishop.

"He stayed even-keeled all the time," his supervisor, Sgt. 1st Class Chris Kern, said over the phone. "He was very mature, and that's the kind of person you wanted. He was not very excitable."

Bishop, 29, played high school football in Floyd County, not far from the campus of college football powerhouse Virginia Tech. An acquaintance said he enjoyed hanging out at local restaurants with friends and listening to country music. In addition to his metal work, he spent some time as a volunteer firefighter. As a soldier half a world away in Iraq, he would again answer the call to put his life on the line for others.

Bishop's Army job was demanding and difficult. According to the article, the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, 352nd Civil Affairs Command, U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command works 12 to 18 hours a day, six days a week on dozens of rebuilding projects in Iraq. By all accounts, Bishop never complained about his challenging workload, and in fact told his friends that he enjoyed it.

While the American media has moved on from closely covering day-to-day events on the ground in Iraq, it's clear that many U.S. troops are still working very hard in the war-torn country. For Spc. Steven Bishop, helping the people of Iraq was his duty, and he didn't ask for anything in return.