Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Lieutenant General Martin R. Steele enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 1965. He rose from private to three-star general, culminating his military career as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Policies, and Operations at Headquarters, US Marine Corps, in Washington, DC in August of 1999.

Upon his retirement from active duty in 1999, he served as President & CEO of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, the largest naval museum in the world. LtGen Steele also served as the Associate Vice President for Veterans Research, the Executive Director of Military Partnerships, and Co-Chair of the Veterans Reintegration Steering Committee at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, until his retirement in December of 2016.

LtGen Steele is a graduate of the University of Arkansas where he obtained a BA degree in History (’74) and was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. He also holds three Masters Degrees from Central Michigan University, Salve Regina College, and the Naval War College.

Married to the former Cynthia Bayliss of Little Rock, Arkansas, they are the parents of three adult children, and have three grandchildren. Their son, David, is a selected Colonel in the Marine Corps having served three tours of combat in Afghanistan.