June 10, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT More than 15 years ago, the Ashburn Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department in Northern Virginia welcomed a new recruit whom many members would come to admire: a military man named David Rush. He wasn’t just highly intelligent. He was also capable, calm under pressure and a physical specimen, according to interviews with a half-dozen former Ashburn volunteer firefighters. “The David Rush I remember, he was chiseled,” said Jeff Bellmer, a retired lieutenant at the department.