In the summer of 1970 when Steve was eighteen, he received a draft notice from the Army. He had his heart already set on being a Marine, so instead of going into the Army for two years, he enlisted for four years in the Marine Corp.

After enlisted, Steve was sent to the Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego. After finishing boot camp, he was sent to Camp Pendleton for Barrack and Advanced Infantry Training and then was dispatched to his base which was the First Tank Battalion at Camp Pendleton “Los Flores”.

Steve was then transferred to 29 Palms in California where he trained reserves in the field and at Camp Wilson in the Mojave Desert. Steve was transferred back to 1st Tank Battalion Base at Pendleton, then was bugged out to Vietnam.

Steve was E3 Lance Corporal and awarded a good conduct metal.