URBANA, Ill. — In four years assigned to a helicopter unit, Cpl. David Steinfels experienced a lot of hard landings, fast-roping off the “helos” with up to 100 pounds of gear when it wasn’t safe enough to me down.
He served in the Marine Corps infantry from 2011 to 2015, and received advanced medical and leadership training.
Steinfels served in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
At the Chez Center for Wounded Veterans, where he lives while studying at the University of Illinois, there’s a map where the veterans place a pin for every place they served, and Steinfels has put up several of them.
“We ran out of pins,” he says.
Now 25, Steinfels grew up in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, and at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps infantry, with his Marine brother helping in the decision process.
He has four brothers who are also Marines.
