By Hannah Buchanan - Progress News Writer
RUSK - Standing tall and proud even now, the deep blue eyed man, carrying a scar on his right cheek, seems to retain a proper presence of dignity and a calmness within himself.
One may wonder what retired Colonel Jerry Curtis' blue eyes have seen.
The Rusk Veterans of Foreign Wars post welcomed Curtis as their special speaker Friday at the VFW building as they remembered the special day to recognize and honor missing in action soldiers and prisoners of war.
Curtis joined the Air Force in 1972 as a pilot in the Vietnam war, and became a prisoner of war in September of 1965. He was released on February 12, 1972, after being held captive for nearly seven and a half years. He retired in 1977 after 25 years in the service.
"None of us volunteered to do this, and if I were to be asked to do it all over again, I wouldn't," Curtis said of his time in the camp. "I had to do what I had to do. God in all of His wonder doesn't reveal the future to us."
Curtis said this was his first time to speak in front of a group during such a unique and special event.
"I have some friends who are POWs, and they all deserve to be recognized on this day," said post member Jim Cromwell.
The room held a single "Missing Man table" behind the podium. Each part of the table represents an ideal or feature based around missing in action soldiers.
The round table symbolizes fragility, the tablecloth represents the purity of their intentions when answering their call of duty, and the pinch of salt on the plate represents tears endured by those missing and their families, just to name a few.
Curtis choked up one time, a lady gasped in the audience, and emotions, although hidden, appeared high.
"The will was there to escape. We tried to," Curtis said
The retired pilot told the small group how it all panned out.
"My friend, Dwayne Martin, I didn't know what happened to him," he said. "They separated him from us and then they decapitated Dwayne's head. Dief Diedler wrote S.O.S. in the sand. We tried to escape."
Curtis said all of them were beaten and even one in the group died.
"They then took about 200 of us to the China ward. I spent three weeks in a cell block."
Curtis then shared the story about another war friend, a man named John.
"My friend, John, started a low fever," he said. "They separated him from the rest of us. He died. We don't know how - maybe of some type of typhoid."
Curtis said their group was called the "Allied POW" group because other foreign soldiers were held captive along with Americans.
"All prisoners of war, my heart goes out to them," he said.
On the day of his release, Curtis said they gave all of the captives clothes.
"And pants, with zippers," he said.
Curtis said it was a very quiet scene.
"This was a very solemn time," he said. "Most of us were able to walk very well - others needed some help."
Curtis remembered waiting on the plane.
"No one was yelling; no one was laughing," he said. "I remember the sounds of the plane, the hydraulics, the roar of the engine, then the breaks released. We were still not believing we would be home."
Curtis called the homecoming "joyous."
"I got a uniform, and money for breakfast - steak, eggs and strawberry shortcake," he said, "and it was good!"
Curtis said he then phoned his wife. It had been eight years since they last spoke to each other.
"I had to hear the news of the death of her father and of course no one wants to hear about that," he said, "and I told her about my best friend, that he had died."
Curtis closed his speech with a heartfelt ending.
"I extend a thanks to those who had been praying for us. Remember our past and present soldiers. Let's continue to keep them in our prayers," Curtis said.
© 2005 Jacksonville Progress, Jacksonville, TX