Steve just prior to his first and final mission.
Steve Arnold was a US Navy pilot.
History
Befone the Macross Incident
In 1999, he joined Skull Squadron from the Academy, where he got top scores. He was assigned to be Lieutenant Roy Fokker's wingman.
Death
Steve's fighter crashes and explodes.
In his first mission Steve was killed when he attempted a difficult maneuver to lose a missile locked on his tail by diving towards the ocean and pulling up at the last moment. Steve was unable to pull up in time and crashed. (From the Stars: "From the Stars")