Everyone has heroes.  My  first hero was larger  than life, the strongest and most handsome man in the world.  He was my dad, Robert Curry. At five years of age, he was the center of my world and could do no wrong.  I believed he could move mountains and I felt safe when he was around.

I was four-and-a-half years old when John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  Even though I was young, I distinctly remember that day. It was the day that I saw my hero cry for the first time.

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My parents spoke all the time about President Kennedy and I knew that he was an important man and someone to be looked up to. My father related to President Kennedy in several ways.  They had both served in the military.  President Kennedy had helped to rescue his surviving crew of PT Boat 109.  My dad saw this as an act of heroism.  My dad believed that President Kennedy had the best interest of the American people at heart and his administration worked hard to implement many social programs that assisted so many.  As in most homes on November 22, 1963, it was a sad and somber day.   A flag always flew in the front of our house.   I can still see my dad lowering the flag that day in remembrance of the slain President.  .

My dad also was a military hero in my eyes. He  enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1941.  My dad was captured by the Japanese on Wake Island on December 23, 1941.  He spent the entire duration of the war in prison camps from Japan to China.  He was tortured severely and suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome.   I can still recall hearing him yell during the night from dreams he would periodically have.  As a child, when I would wander in to make sure he was okay, he would pick me up and take me back to my bed.  He always would laugh and assure me everything was okay.  It was not until years later would learn the cause for his nightmares.

In later years, my Dad worked diligently at the Loma Linda Veterans Hospital in Loma Linda,
A social worker, Marion Squires and my dad, started the first support group for former POWs- both civilian and military.  The program was initially named the Squires-Curry POW Support Group, but the name was later changed.  These programs have expanded and now full medical and emotional services are available to all former prisoners of war.  I am so proud of my father's work ethic and his love for the men who were with him during that horrible time.

It was in the early 1990s that my father's battle with Parkinsons and Alzheimers began.  I was so angry that he had to suffer further pain.  I never let him see my anger, as he never let me see his fear and worry. As his condition progressed, it became necessary for him to live the remaining years at the Loma Linda Veterans Hospital.  Shortly after his admission, it was discovered that cancer was another battle he had to face.  He ultimately lost his leg above the knee to this horrific disease.   It broke my heart so see him continue to suffer.   However my father's spirit was never broken and he never gave up hope.  He was never angry that this had happened to him. He would always say that he was so grateful that the Veterans Hospital that he loved so much was there to help him.

In November of 1996 it became obvious that his battle was coming to an end.  He struggled and fought to hang on.  We visited him on November 21, 1996 for the last time.  He passed away at 12:30 a.m on November 22, 1996.

He and President Kennedy share the same date of death.  Knowing the respect my father had for John Kennedy, I find a sense of comfort in the fact that the first heros in my life will forever be remembered together on this date.

I miss my dad everyday, but I am so grateful for the time I had with him and the lessons I have learned from him. I am proud to call him my father.

Robert Eaves Curry -

August 29, 1919 - November 22, 1996