Harold Steele entered the U.S. Army at the age of 19 on March 19, 1948. Steele initially was stationed at Fort Dix in New Jersey for basic training, then transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington, from June 1948 to July 1950. As a part of the infantry, Steele left the United States to fight in the Korean War. The 9th Infantry Regiment, known as the “Manchus,” was among the first to touch down on Korean soil, arriving in the port city of Pusan, South Korea, on July 31, 1950.

Steele and his regiment were immediately placed on the line in defense of the Pusan Perimeter, receiving heavy fire in the Battle of the Naktong Bulge. Breaking their defensive position, they began to attack northward, assaulting and seizing Coverleaf and Obong-Ni Ridge on August 1, 1950. The regiment remained there until September 1, 1950, when the North Koreans broke through the regiment, causing them to retreat briefly.

The 9th Infantry Regiment then reorganized with the 5th Marine Regiment and planned a counterattack, regaining Cloverleaf and Obong-Ni Ridge and advancing north. The soldiers believed they would be home before Christmas in 1950, but that plan was undermined when the Chinese Army attacked, and the 9th Infantry Regiment sustained heavy casualties. On November 30, 1950, the Manchus began to run the “Gauntlet” to Kunuri with the rest of the 2nd Infantry Division. During that encounter, Steele went missing in action.

Steele’s parents received a letter from the U.S. Army on March 12, 1954, stating that their son was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War (POW) in North Korea. This was confirmed by other POWs who encountered him in the prison camp. These eyewitnesses confirmed that Steele died from exposure and pneumonia on February 28, 1951.