Sergeant Steele was a member of Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in Korea on 21 August 1952 and returned to duty on 1 September 1952. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy in Korea on 19 October 1952. He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Steele was awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.