Memorial Day serves as a day of remembrance
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, May 29, 2019
By Dawn Burleigh
The Orange Leader
Residents, young and old, gathered for the 16th Annual Heritage Veterans Memorial on Sunday, to remember the service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Colonel Thomas J. Curtis, USAF retired, a former prisoner of war in North Vietnam was the guest speaker.
“This is a day of remembrance,” Curtis said as his eyes filled with tears. “Next is the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the longest day.”
June 6, 2019, will mark the 75th anniversary of the historic event.
During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring, the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of the war in Europe, according to history.com.
For Curtis, Monday was a day to remember those men he served alongside who were not with us anymore.
“The first one is Glenn,” Curtis said. “Glenn, I and one other went to Pilot Training Program together.”
While they attended schooling together, their assignments were staggered. Glenn flew fighters.
“Then we wore civilian clothes,” Curtis said. “Glenn came to my base in Thailand. We found a parachute. We enjoyed ourselves while I am sure the base commander did not enjoy our antics.”
While Curtis was held captive as a POW during the Vietnam War, he kept track of where he thought Glenn would be in his career.
“I found out he was killed at the base we last flown in,” Curtis said.
Another man Curtis recalled was a 1st Lt. Co-Pilot on the flight when Curtis was captured.
“He was 25 at most. He had flown two missions at most when we were shot down,” Curtis said.
The young man was also captured and held in a primitive camp for 10 months.

A new addition to the annual Heritage Veterans Memorial, held on Sunday, is the Missing Man Table, also known as the Falling Comrade Table, in honor of fallen, missing, or imprisoned military service members.
“He knew unless he escaped, he would die,” Curtis said. “He paired up with a Navy Pilot and escaped into the jungle.”
While approaching a village to see if it was friend or foe, it turned out to be a foe and he was killed with a machete.
The Navy pilot was eventually rescued and weighed approximately 90 pounds when he was found.
“He was diagnosed with Lou Garret Disease later in life,” Curtis said. “You don’t have to be a POW to experience difficulty in life.”
The third man was a Marine Curtis met while a POW.
“He started with a low-grade fever that would go up and down,” Curtis said. “He was removed from our living quarters.”
Curtis added white coats could be seen going to where the Marine had been moved to.
The guards told the men the Marine was getting better.
“Truth is, he died six months before we were released,” Curtis said.
Curtis added he was thankful for those who answer the call to arms to defend our flag.
“Remember those who have gone on before,” Curtis said. “Thank you to the citizens of America and God’s Army. They join God’s Army before they joined the army.”