Quentin New

U.S. Army Reserve Sergeant Quentin New might wonder why he didn't become a firefighter. Whether serving in a war zone or visiting friends in the Florida Keys, New has realized that he is prepared to respond quickly to life-threatening fires.

New was driving the lead vehicle in a convoy traveling to Camp Fallujah, Iraq, on March 29, 2008. The convoy had almost reached its destination when New heard a loud explosion from behind him. He stopped his vehicle and rushed to see what had happened.

The second Humvee in the convoy had struck an Improvised Explosive Device and had caught fire. U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel William Hall was trapped inside. New climbed inside the burning vehicle to try to pull Hall to safety.  Despite the suffocating smoke, and the with help of his fellow soldiers, he was able to pull Hall's upper body from the vehicle just before the seat burst into flames.

Hall's legs were stuck, so New worked to get to him out of the vehicle despite ammunition rounds stored within the Humvee igniting and firing around them. Over the next few minutes, New and his team worked to free Hall's legs. Thanks to their efforts, Hall was freed from the vehicle and rushed to Camp Fallujah's medical center.

Hall passed away the next day due to the injuries he sustained in the explosion.

For demonstrating leadership, quick thinking and immense personal courage, New was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor at the end of his deployment.

"I was surprised to learn about the award," said New. "But I was pleased to see myself and my fellow soldiers receive this great honor," he said, referring to the soldiers who served with him that day.

More than two years later, New found himself in another situation where he was running into a fire. But this time he wasn't at war. He had just returned from deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan, and was staying on a friend's boat while attending a wedding in Key West, Florida.  Just as he was about to go to sleep, he noticed an orange haze in the distance, saw flames rising from a nearby trailer development, and understood immediately what he had to do.  New rushed to the scene and started searching through trailers to wake up sleeping residents.

He broke into a nearby trailer to wake up a family and ensured the safety of the other residents.

"Between the flames and the wind, the fire could have spread quickly," explained New. "I ran into a burning vehicle in Iraq, so it wasn't anything for me to run into a burning trailer park."

"Deployment is addicting," New said. He is looking forward to another tour, he said.

While in serving in Kandahar, Afghanistan last summer, New was promoted from Specialist to Sergeant. A native of Olathe, Kansas, New has high military aspirations and hopes to continue to serve his country through military police work, protective detail service or perhaps even recruiting.

"I joined the military in July 2005 after the second London transit attacks," said New. "It was a spontaneous decision, but it changed my life for the better."

New is an avid scuba diver, having explored off the coasts of the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Belize and Cozumel. After returning from his first deployment to Iraq, New invested in a start-up scuba diving company in Key West, Florida, and he continues to scuba dive in his spare time.