"They put us off the plane and we started marching to the front lines," recalls Curtis of his first day in Korea. Born on a farm in Rodessa, Louisiana, he finished high school, and then entered the U.S. Marine Corps on June 29, 1949. At Texas Naval Air Station at Corpus Christi he served as an MP. After a year he went into inactive reserve but was called for active duty in Korea. As a member of Able Company, First Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, Curtis arrived at Pusan in South Korea in May of 1951. Quickly sent into action in a rifle platoon, he was also used as a sniper. In one engagement, his platoon lost thirty-four men out of fifty-two. Friendly fire from air strikes killed another twenty-seven. Although he suffered through a cold winter, Curtis and the men of his company wore experimental winter clothing. None suffered frostbite. He reports capturing barrels of marijuana behind enemy lines. Curtis arrived in Korea weighing 152 pounds, and left at 119. He left active duty in May of 1952, and returned to the Rodessa farm. He worked briefly in the oil fields and then for most of his life as a welder.