Who is Steve Newman?

Originally from Norman, Oklahoma, Steve Newman is an author and screenwriter born out of the US Army Special Forces.  Upon his return from Afghanistan in 2003, he retired from active duty as a Master Sergeant in the US Army after having served for over twenty years as a member of the elite, secretive Green Berets. 

For the vast majority of Steve’s military career he served with the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), mostly assigned to 3rd Battalion, stationed in Panama.  During “Operation Just Cause” he helped plan the assault on the Pacora River Bridge, then he participated in the assault on the TV 2 repeater site on Cerro Azul, just outside Panama City.  He also participated in the assault on the Panamanian Ninth Military Regional Headquarters located near the Colombian border.  After the invasion was over, he served as a member of the Military Advisory Team in Panama City working to rebuild the Panamanian National Police.
            Throughout his military career, Steve traveled to almost every country in South America and the Caribbean.  He speaks Spanish fluently and has earned Jump Wings, from Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Argentina and Honduras as both a Static Line Jump Master and Military Free Fall Parachutist.  He later served in Panama as the Team Sergeant of Special Forces Operational Detachment “A-793” and as the Operations Sergeant of Charlie Company, 3^rd Battalion 7^th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the primary combat arm of the US Southern Command’s “CINC’s In-Extremis force.”

Steve returned CONUS and was assigned to the US Army Special Forces Command G-3 with duty as the Active Duty Adviser to 1st Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Huntsville, Alabama.  He was instrumental in establishing their Special Operations training detachment, creating the Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course along with the 20th Group’s, Special Operations Target Interdiction Course or sniper school.  After 9/11, the instructor cadre was formed into an Operational Detachment and Steve lead them into Afghanistan in 2002 as the Team Sergeant where they were responsible for standing up the Afghan Ministry of Interiors’ National Level Strike Force.

Steve graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Columbia College while still on active duty.  During his career he was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge (x2), the Bronze Star, and the Meritorious Service Medal (x5).  In 1984, he earned his Green Beret and Special Forces Tab as a graduate of the Special Forces Qualification Course. He is also a graduate of the Special Forces Operations and Intelligence Sergeants Course, the Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance, Target Analysis and Exploitation Techniques Course, the Special Operations Target Interdiction course and the Military Free Fall Parachutist Course, also commonly known as HALO School. 

Recently, Steve completed a successful nationwide tour with his books and after having left 32 years ago, he has finally returned to his Oklahoma roots to work on a movie script that recounts the deadly ambush on a team of Green Berets, in the Panjwai District of Afghanistan.  Steve’s perspective as a Green Beret combat veteran brings truth and realism to his writing.  He reveals the heart and spirit of our nation’s greatest warriors and shows them for who they really are; the young men and women who grew up next door and went on to become something extraordinary.  He currently resides in Midwest City, Oklahoma where he continues writing about life as a soldier and helping others, especially veterans, achieve their creative dreams.