Sergeant Newell was awarded the Silver Star Medal for  gallantry in action, on 11 January 1945.  Sergeant Newell volunteered to clear a path to a barn in order to evacuate 50 men from a house which was subjected to heavy 88mm, and machine gun fire from an enemy tank.  Upon exciting from the barn, Sergeant Newell and two other soldiers encountered a number of Germans, many of whom they killed and wounded, and the remainder of whom fled, clearing the way for the escape from the building of our men.