Of the 2,000 students at Buena High School in Ventura, only a small handful know the real Mr. Cullen.
The remainder of the student body learned about their social studies teacher Thursday when he was awarded a Bronze Star award from Congress, the fourth highest military honor in the nation.
Cullen was recognized for his actions in Iraq on Oct. 6, 2006.
But, Sgt. Emmet Cullen rarely shares the story of what happened on that day in Mosul, Iraq.
"It's hard to be prideful and boastful," he told NBC4 Thursday. Cullen said he had just seconds to make a critical decision that day after his base was ambushed. "We were being shot at while the vehicle was going to roll over. So, we made the decision to jump out of the tank while they were shooting at us."
Cullen says he got out, destroyed four bombs and faced the enemy.
"We came across one gentleman hiding, and he reached for my weapon. We ended up engaging in hand-to-hand combat."
Cullen saved 20 lives that day. But, he says, the decision to keep quiet to his students about his story will remain.
