Stuart Steinberg served as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in the U.S. Army from 1967–1971, including eighteen months in Vietnam. He has a law degree, an advanced law degree, and taught at the Georgetown University Law Center. He retired in 2004 after twenty-three years as a public defender and capital defense investigator. Since then, he has served as a volunteer service officer for Vietnam Veterans of America, assisting veterans with claims for benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He is on the board of directors of the National EOD Association and the National Veterans Rights Association.