When a gunman opened fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia, eight people made split-second decisions that saved lives. More than a year later, the U.S. Army honored those soldiers in a ceremony that brought them back together — and brought back memories none of them will easily forget.
On the morning of August 6, 2025, a U.S. Army sergeant armed with a personal firearm began shooting at Fort Stewart, wounding five soldiers before being stopped. On a sweltering November day nearly 15 months later, Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle and Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve stood before a crowd at the 3rd Infantry Division’s Headquarters to present awards to eight soldiers who intervened that day — physically restraining the shooter and providing first aid to the wounded.
A Familiar Face, a Split-Second Choice
Sgt. Aaron Turner was one of the first to act. He noticed the hoodie first, then the boots, then the weapon. Speaking quietly to reporters after the ceremony, Turner described the moment he understood what was about to happen.
“That’s when I started taking action,”
Turner said.
Turner recognized the shooter as a fellow soldier — someone he knew. He attempted to defuse the situation,
“telling him that it’s not worth it.”
The gunman ignored him and walked past. Before Turner could act further, another soldier rushed the assailant from behind, pulling the hoodie down over his eyes and dragging his shoulders back. Turner seized the opening, took a knee, disarmed the shooter, cleared the weapon of ammunition, and helped hold the man until military police arrived.
Turner and Sgt. Michael Boron — a combat medic and evacuation squad leader — each received the Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s highest award for heroism not involving direct combat with an enemy. Both soldiers are assigned to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team at Fort Stewart.
Telle addressed the crowd gathered for the ceremony, acknowledging what Turner and Boron did when it mattered most.
“We would all like to think that we’d do exactly what sergeants Turner and Boron did. We all like to think that, but they actually did [it],”
Telle said.
“It was heroic, and because of their speed, their discipline and their courage — no hesitation — not a single life was lost.”
Six Others Recognized for Protecting and Aiding the Wounded
Six additional soldiers received the Meritorious Service Medal for shielding others from harm and helping care for the injured. The recipients — Capt. Shailesh Nakarmi, 1st Lt. Kendarious Nixon, Sgt. 1st Class Luis Garza, Staff Sgt. Jalen Davis, Staff Sgt. Raudy Javier, and Spc. Gavin Brebnor — come from a range of occupational specialties, including logistics officers, heavy vehicle drivers, and an ammunition stock control specialist. Some have since been reassigned to other posts but returned to Fort Stewart for the presentation.
For Davis, who guided other soldiers away from danger as the attack unfolded, the experience has left a lasting mark.
“It’s definitely something that I think will stay with me for the rest of my life,”
Davis said, describing the event as “traumatic” — made harder by the fact that the shooter was a soldier in his own unit whom he personally knew.
What Led to the Shooting
The shooter, Quornelius S. Radford, was a former automated logistics sergeant assigned to Fort Stewart. On the morning of August 6, 2025, Radford drove onto the base carrying a loaded personal firearm following an argument with his fiancée. Concerned he might be suicidal, his fiancée followed him and approached him in a parking lot. Radford shot the soldier standing nearby, then moved inside his unit’s building complex and shot four more people.
Radford confessed to the attack this past June and was convicted of attempted murder by a military judge. He was sentenced to six life terms, to be served at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. According to the Army, all five of his victims testified in support of the maximum sentence.
Organizers of the November ceremony kept the focus firmly on the awardees. Radford’s name was not spoken aloud during the event.
A Unit Still Healing
Lt. Col. Carlos Santos, who commanded the 703 Brigade Support Battalion during the shooting, reflected on how the unit has worked to recover in the months since. He credited family readiness groups for rallying support around the loved ones of injured soldiers, and said the unit surged chaplain support and expanded access to behavioral healthcare.
Even so, Santos acknowledged the toll the day took on everyone involved.
“It affected me as well, from the battalion commander on down,”
Santos said, adding,
“we all need to recover.”
The day after the original shooting, then-Army Secretary Dan Driscoll had already presented Meritorious Service Medals to five soldiers and Turner for their actions. The Army subsequently upgraded Turner’s recognition to the Soldier’s Medal — a reflection of the full picture that emerged as investigators pieced together what happened in those critical minutes on August 6, 2025.
