Bronze Star recipient and Army veteran Steven Rossler successfully launched a family barbecue business after overcoming the health challenges of being a combat veteran. An Army veteran went from the battlefield to the barbecue. Steven Rossler, owner and operator of Rossler’s Blue Cord Barbecue in Harker Heights, Texas, previously served in the Army for 20 years.
Before retiring in 2020, Rossler, 43, completed deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq and received a Bronze Star Medal for valor. US MARINE CORPS VETERAN WHO LOST LEGS IN AFGHANISTAN SAYS A NONPROFIT HELPED HIM STAY ALIVE In an interview with Fox News Digital, Rossler shared that he first wanted to be a cook in the military , but he joined as an infantryman and was stationed in Hawaii. After experiencing the loss of some fellow soldiers, Rossler was in a "really bad spot" when he started cooking and barbecuing, which led to the start of his business in 2016.
Rossler's Blue Cord Barbecue has been named in Texas Monthly's 25 Best New and Improved BBQ Joints in Texas. (Semper Fi & America's Fund) Overcoming mental health obstacles Rossler also struggled with the effects of active combat, including tinnitus, a traumatic brain injury, a lower back injury and mental health challenges like PTSD and alcohol abuse. "For a long period of time, alcohol was something I used to [help me] cope," he told Fox News Digital.
"When you see the things I've seen, when you see the devil face to face, those are things you can't get out of y.