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Remembering Dave Curry

By Barry Romo

In 1972, Dave Curry saw me being interviewed on a morning television show during the Republican National Convention in Miami, inviting veterans to join Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) in protesting the convention. Dave had just gotten out of the service. He hitchhiked from Appalachia down to Miami to join in the action, and from then on, was a part of VVAW.

Dave came from a poor working class mining family. His family often stayed in abandoned homes while he was growing up and his father was looking for work. He was the first person in his family to graduate from college. He joined ROTC when he went to college to pay for his education. The first shirt he ever had that didn't have a hole in it was bought by his ROTC sergeant at Ole Miss. ROTC not only paid for his education, but he received a stipend, military clothes, and came into the service as an officer. He went to school and got his Master's degree.

He came on Active Duty and was sent to Laotian school because at the time, the US was planning to invade Laos, a failed operation which ended up being led by Vietnamese soldiers instead of US soldiers. When that didn't pan out, he was sent to Vietnam as an intelligence officer to gather information, to check out the location of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. He didn't wear a uniform — he wasn't just an intelligence officer but also counter-intelligence. He talked to POW's after they were captured. He received a letter of commendation for the valuable information he was able to get out of prisoners. The other Captain whom he worked with would rough up prisoners and was generally a horrible person. Dave was not that kind of person so when he received the letter of commendation he felt it proved that you could do things the right way to get information.

However, he soon felt differently. Due to his commendation, he was invited to visit one of the intelligence locations, and was told how valuable the information he gained was. When he got there, he saw the instruments of torture — the equipment and the dental chairs. He realized in that moment that the information he was passing on was allowing these prisoners to be tortured that much more. He had a gigantic crisis of conscience. He was a Captain in Vietnam in early 1972. He tried to resign his commission and of course, they said no. He was forced to finish out his tour and he became an alcoholic during that time. He was so ashamed that even when you try to be a decent human, the war machine you are part of is that blood thirsty that it still had horrible outcomes.

Dave was a lifetime member of VVAW. He helped VVAW with security and participated in the silent marches. He loved the members of VVAW and VVAW itself. He was the coordinator of a state chapter. He came to Chicago to get his PhD in Sociology at the University of Chicago. Dave participated in the early rap groups and helped with VVAW's "war on the VA" to get recognition and benefits for veterans suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

After receiving his PhD, he worked at a veteran's outreach and counseling center in Mobile, AL. It was there where he was framed for selling drugs. An undercover cop came to the vet center. Dave was trying to help out who he thought was a vet in need and was arrested for selling this undercover cop a small amount of cocaine on federal property. During his time in Mobile, he had been working with the Southern Poverty Law Center and with the local NAACP. He was an outspoken anti-war activist. The judge on his case utterly despised him. He was sentenced to 34 years in a federal prison in Florida. He was later re-sentenced to six years, and moved back to Chicago for post-doctoral work. Dave was pardoned by President Clinton on November 21, 2000.

We (VVAW) had been friends with Harold Washington from his time as a state legislator and a US representative. When VVAW went to Washington, DC to demand recognition for Agent Orange service-connected disabilities, Harold was an ally. He helped get VVAW members in to Arlington National Cemetery to see Medgar Evers' plot. When Harold Washington made his run for Chicago mayor, Dave played a key role in mobilizing veterans to vote. Dave served as the Secretary and Treasurer of Mayor Washington's Welcome Home Parade.

Dave also served on the VVAW Board of Directors, as a National Coordinator, and as national staff at various points. Dave was also the godfather of my daughter. Dave was just a brilliant guy. He was a nice soft spoken guy in the wrong place during Vietnam. I don't think he ever was able to reconcile what he had been a part of in Vietnam. I really do miss him.

Barry Romo is a long-tmie VVAW member and Chicago resident.