Steven Roberts enlisted in the US Army Infantry at the age of 17 while still in high school, following the footsteps of his grandfather and uncle, both combat infantrymen who, between the two of them, served in World War Two, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Assigned to Fort Drum’s 10th Mountain Division, Steven began specializing in mountain warfare, training at schools in Vermont, Canada, and various other locations.

Now serving as a designated marksman and team leader, in the beginning of 2010 his unit was deployed to the high mountains of northeastern Afghanistan for over a year to a region that had become overrun by Taliban, HIG, and foreign fighters.

In the fall of 2010, Steven’s unit was on a long range reconnaissance patrol against HIG forces. During a close complex ambush which saw both sides exchanging hand grenades, Steven was knocked unconscious by an RPG and suffered a TBI and back injury. Due to the complexity of the ambush and terrain, Steven was the forward most position, cut off from most of his platoon. Upon regaining consciousness, he realized this and began returning fire at cyclic rates, eventually repelling the attack. For his actions, Steven was nominated for the the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, which was downgraded to an Army Commendation Medal with Valor. This ambush would turn into the Battle of Shahabuddin, lasting the next three days and is still the largest battle in RC North to this day.

After recovering, Steven finished his deployment and returned to Fort Drum, receiving an honorable discharge and terminal promotion to Corporal before moving back home to California.

Struggling with the TBI and PTSD, Steven began to find solace in the outdoors, beginning solo backpacking trips and eventually reconnecting with mountaineering. During these trips, he met another Labs For Liberty recipient who recommended him to the organization and he was paired with Angie, thanks to the sponsorship of Nux 4 Life. Angie is not only Steven’s outdoor adventure partner, but his savior.