Hometown Hero: Chief Warrant Officer 4 Steve Steirer

Someone once defined a hero as a person who acts with courage and integrity on a daily basis, then steps up when the opportunity arises. Such is the case for Southern Lehigh resident Chief Warrant Officer 4 Steve Steirer.

Steirer joined the Army National Reserves 25 years ago. This meant that he spends one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer every year in training - plus an additional 25 days per year for helicopter pilots. It also means he can be deployed at any time.

The first time Steirer was deployed was in 2005, when his son was 7 and his daughter was 9. Steirer hated leaving his wife, Lisa, with the children, house and work. For 16 months, Steirer was stationed in Kosovo working for a NATO peacekeeping force. When he received a two-week pass, he met his wife, children and parents in Germany for a vacation at a military resort. They spent time in Germany, Austria and Italy. Lisa says the trip to Germany was amazing and a nice benefit.

Steirer was deployed a second time in 2009 - this time to Iraq. “Things were winding down” by the time Steirer arrived. “People were still trying to kill you... just not as many.” He was responsible for transporting people and equipment in his helicopter and recalls getting shot at once or twice. Unlike Kosovo, where the soldiers were on a peace mission, Steirer says that there wasn’t much interaction with the locals in Iraq. “You never knew who the enemy was.”

The worst fire came from the rockets that were launched onto base. The enemy would set rockets a few miles outside of base, set a timer for a half-hour and run away. This happened a couple of times a month. Steirer recalls one time when he was out on a mission and the base was fired upon. “The rocket killed some National Guard guys. That was hard.”

How did the family handle dad being away? “Lisa did a great job. She doesn’t get enough thanks for what she did.” Steirer says he was only doing one job while Lisa was at home trying to do three - children, household and work.
Lisa says that the National Guard community is really spread out and it was difficult because nobody close to her really understood what she was going through. “It was much different the second time around (when Steirer was in Iraq). The kids were older and understood the dangers of war."

When Steirer came home for a two-week leave, it was hard to go back. “Coming home was like an oasis.” He recalls appreciating the clean air and noticing the many colors. “Iraq is pretty much brown, smelly and dusty.” As Americans, it is amazing what we take for granted - clean air, hot water, electricity. “We have so much and they have so little.” Everything is shipped in, including fresh water and milk. The milk is processed so that it doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

Upon Steirer’s return, Lisa was more than happy to hand over the bills and a few other household responsibilities. “Thanks to everyone who helped Lisa and gave us their support.”

As an officer, Steirer was eligible to resign after six years of service. In the spring of 2012, he will be eligible to retire from the National Guard.