Two Purple Hearts: The Kyle Steiner Story

Two Purple Hearts: The Kyle Steiner Story

From SOFREP Radio by iHeartPodcasts

March 11, 2026 · 58 min · Episode 750

About this episode

Kyle Steiner shares his experiences as a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and the lessons learned from combat and leadership.

Kyle Steiner is a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and combat leader who served in the Global War on Terror. He enlisted in the Army in 2005 and deployed to Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, serving in the Korengal Valley during some of the most intense fighting of the war. His experiences there were later captured in the acclaimed documentaries Restrepo and Korengal . During combat operations, Steiner was wounded in action and awarded two Purple Hearts after surviving multiple enemy attacks, including an RPG blast and a machine-gun round that struck and deflected off his helmet. He later went on to serve in U.S. Army Special Forces, conducting missions across the Middle East, Central America, and South America. Over the course of his career he became Ranger-qualified, Combat Diver-qualified, HALO-certified, and a graduate of the Special Forces Sniper Course. His assignments included service with SOCOM’s Crisis Response Force. Steiner’s military decorations include two Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars, and the Army Commendation Medal with “V” device for valor. Today, he is the founder of Operator Mindset, a leadership and performance coaching…

People in this episode

Guest: Kyle Steiner

Topics covered

  • military service
  • leadership
  • combat experiences
  • personal transformation
  • veteran stories

Keywords

  • Purple Hearts
  • combat leader
  • Afghanistan
  • military decorations
  • leadership coaching

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. Army, Operator Mindset

Books & works: Restrepo, Korengal

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