FORT CARSON, Colo. — Pfc. Jumaris Maduro knew aiding a father and his teenage son, who were in their home when it caught on fire, was the right thing to do.
And that’s what she did when she saw a house on fire June 10, 2021, around 10:30 p.m. in Fountain.
She was serving as a volunteer for Fort Carson’s NO DUI program and had taken a Soldier home who had attended a military ball in Colorado Springs when she came upon the house.
She pulled over and ran to the house, Maduro said. The son was coming out of the house, but the dad stayed inside.
“I told the dad he needed to come outside; he listened to me, and he came outside,” she said.
Maduro said she went to the homes of some of the neighbors and alerted them that a house was on fire. She stayed with the dad and his son until the police arrived.
For her actions, Col. Nate Springer, commander, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson, presented Maduro, a religious affairs specialist with USAG, with an Army Commendation Medal along with his coin during a ceremony June 30, 2021, at the Soldiers’ Memorial Chapel.
Maj. Gen. Thomas L. Solhjem, the Army’s chief of chaplains, also presented her with his coin during the ceremony.
Springer recognized Maduro for taking action to protect members of the community.
“You never know when it’s your time to be called,” Springer said. “Pfc. Maduro recognized it was her time. She stopped the car (and) took action because it was the right thing to do — protecting members of our community.
“We all have the responsibility to do the right thing. There’s no bystanders in the Army.”
Maduro didn’t have to give it a second thought when she stopped to render aid.
“I just couldn’t sit there and drive by, knowing that I’m able to do something,” she said. “I had to stop and make sure that everyone was safe.”
Her service toward this family and the Army has not gone unnoticed.
“It was part of her duty to serve — what she did for this family,” said 1st Sgt. Edith Canada, senior enlisted leader for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, USAG.
“Her valor, her courage — she optimizes every Army value,” she said.
Canada said Maduro was already serving her community as a volunteer in the NO DUI program, which is part of the Better Opportunities for Single Soldier (BOSS) program. Maduro is a BOSS member.
Maduro wouldn’t hesitate to take this kind of action again.
“I would definitely stop and do it all over again,” she said.
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