Dover's Dre Hess recognized by Army secretary for saving soldier who fell into deep well

Nancy Molnar, The Times-Reporter
·3 min read
U.S. Army Secretary Christine E. Wormuth gave Cpl. Dre Hess a coin for saving a soldier who fell in a 15-foot-deep well during night land navigation at Fort Drum, N.Y.
U.S. Army Secretary Christine E. Wormuth gave Cpl. Dre Hess a coin for saving a soldier who fell in a 15-foot-deep well during night land navigation at Fort Drum, N.Y.

A 2018 Dover High School graduate has been recognized by the secretary of the U.S. Army for rescuing a soldier who fell into a 15-foot-deep well.

Dre Hess received a coin from Christine E. Wormuth on Thursday at the Army base in Fort Drum, N.Y., where he is a corporal in the infantry.

Hess helped the soldier get out of the well before her body suffered severe hypothermia, according to a Facebook post from the Alpine Troop at Fort Drum.

"Extraordinary work by a great non-commissioned officer," the announcement said.

More: More: Dover's Dre Hess and Big Sister Karen Stokey recognized

More: More: Dover's Dre Hess signs with Wheeling Jesuit University

The incident occurred on base during night land navigation.

The honor granted to Hess was moving for his mother Liz Miller of Dover.

"I had tears, lots of tears," she said. "We're just very proud of him."

Others celebrating Hess' recognition include aunt Paulette Zedi, sister and brother-in-law Morgan and DJ Roden, niece Jordynn Roden, nephew Avery Roden, the cousin he considers to be a sister Zilynn Zedi, special friend Karen Stokey, and grandparents, aunts and uncles who live in Youngstown. His father Anthony Hess is deceased.

Stokey and Hess were matched by Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio when he was 7 years old.

At the agency's 2018 awards luncheon, she received the award for being the longest community-based mentor in the program, at 12 years. Hess was recognized as Graduating Little of the Year.

The staff credited her with instilling in him a sense of hard work and determination. The two had attended and volunteered together at events and fundraisers.

"Dre is humble, treats others well, has excellent character, and has developed a good heart," Stokey said. "I appreciate the opportunity to be his Big. I am so proud of him."

Dre, who was the Crimson Tornadoes' football captain, received these accolades from head coach Dan Ifft: "Dre is one of the hardest working young men I have had the pleasure to coach. He is the first one at practice and the last one to leave.

Dre Hess, a 2018 Dover High School graduate, is shown with his mother Liz Miller at the Crimson Tornadoes' senior night.
Dre Hess, a 2018 Dover High School graduate, is shown with his mother Liz Miller at the Crimson Tornadoes' senior night.

"He attacks life with a smile on his face and always has a pleasant disposition. He has an iron will to succeed. I do not worry about Dre. He will be successful in whatever future endeavor he chooses, in part, because of his tremendous work ethic."

Hess enlisted in the Army in November 2020 after leaving Wheeling Jesuit University following the termination of an engineering program he had planned to pursue while on a football scholarship, his mother said.

Miller said her son's service in the military is often on her mind.

"We worry about him every day," she said. "We've decided, you know, he's a grown man. He's the one who made the decision to go. I'll be behind him on whatever he does. I'm going to stand right behind him. I always have and I always will."

Reach Nancy at 330-364-8402 or nancy.molnar@timesreporter.com.

On Twitter: @nmolnarTR

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Dover graduate recognized by Army secretary for saving soldier