MANCHESTER, NH (CBS) – A New Hampshire Army National Guardsman was awarded one of the nation’s highest military awards for heroism on Sunday.

Sgt. Raul Zubicaray was presented with the Soldier’s Medal for responding to the scene of a head-on crash in Iraq involving 16 people.

In November of 2011, Zubicaray was driving in a convoy on a main supply route when he saw two vans collide. He managed to free five victims from one of the vehicles after breaking a side window.

Zubicaray treated the victims until medics arrived and created a makeshift body splint for a child out of a damaged car fender.

“I was hoping to get this in the mail,” said a humbled Zubicaray of North Andover, Massachusetts. “But it didn’t work out that way.”

The Soldier’s Medal is awarded to a member of the military who performs an act of heroism while not involved in actual conflict with an enemy.

Brig. Gen. Peter Corey presented Zubicaray with the medal and says, “In my 31 years of service, I have never seen this medal awarded.”

Zubicaray received the medal on Sunday, his 45th birthday.