A 28-year old Fort Stewart soldier has been awarded the highest peacetime medal in the Army, the Soldiers Medal.

During a formal ceremony held at Club Stewart, Spc. Nathan Currie with the 756th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, was presented the prestigious medal by Task Force Marne Commander, Brig. Gen. James Blackburn and Currie’s wife, Mandy.

While fishing at Stewart’s Holbrook Pond in September 2014, Currie heard a loud splash on the far side of the pond. An SUV had run off the road and into the pond. It was turned upside down with only one rear wheel extending from the water. He immediately jumped in his car and sped around to where the vehicle was in the water.

Currie jumped in the snake and alligator-infested pond without hesitation and dove under the water to see if anyone was trapped inside the vehicle. He located Lora Chancey in the backseat but had to come up for air before he went back for her. He pulled Chancey out of an open rear window then swam to shore with her. Through his Army CPR training, he was able to revive the woman who by this time had been under water for five minutes.

See the full story in an upcoming issue of the Coastal Courier.