IMO Steven C. Kalvelage - Special Forces

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In Memory of
Steven Kalvelage

Steven Kalvelage passed away at age 65 on Thursday, October 31, 2019 after a period of declining health and a long illness. He was a long-time member of Chapter 54 and had retired from U.S. Army Special Forces. He served with the 10th, 11th, and 20th Special Forces Groups. He deployed on numerous overseas deployments to include Europe, Central and South America, and Afghanistan.

Steve died at his home in Weeki Wachee, Florida. He was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois to Alban and Lois (Beierwaltes) Kalvelage.

Steven entered the U.S. Army at the age of 17. After Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training, Airborne School, and the Special Forces Qualification Course he was assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. In the early 1970s he left active duty and joined Company A, 1st Battalion, 11th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. In 1980 he was selected as the A/1/11th Soldier of the Year. He later transferred to Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group based in Springfield, Masschusetts. He retired after thirty years of service in the U.S. Army.

Steve Kalvelage Flintlock ODA 114
Steve, 4th from left, was a member of ODA-114, A/1/11th for many years.
This photo was taken during a Flintlock mission in Europe in the late 1970s.

He worked for many years at Natick Labs for the Department of Defense designing cold weather gear and parachutes for the U.S. Army. He left Natick Labs to become an air traffic controller, working first in the Boston area and later in the New Hampshire region. His many civilian acquired skills as a skydiver, pilot, and air traffic controller made him one of the more knowledgeable members of the special forces community in the field of air operations.

Steve Kalvelage - air operations
Steve preparing a rubber boat for a C-130 water parachute drop off

Steve attended the University of Lowell for engineering and graduated from the Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control school in Oklahoma. After retirement he spent many years as an NRA instructor in New Hampshire and Florida. He also was an owner of a sky diving club at a small airport in Pepperell, Massachusetts.

His many hobbies included skydiving, SCUBA diving, flying planes, boating, carpentry, and travel. He built his home on Great Bay in Durham, New Hampshire along the shore. Steve and Alison, his wife of 25 years, retired to Florida where many of his family members also lived.

Steve Kalvelage during trip to Vietnam
Steve during one of his trips to Southeast Asia

A funeral service was held for Steve on November 5, 2019 at the Brewer & Sons Funeral Home in Brooksville, Florida. Burial and military honors was at the Bushnell VA Cemetery, Florida. Several members of Chapter 54 were in attendance.