Sergeant Curtis Prudencio Worthy, United States Army

Curtis enlisted in the Army on 8 January 2005.  He is currently a combat medic with the 501st Medical Company at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

On 27 August 2007 (while assigned to the 547th Medical Company at Fort Lewis, Washington), Curtis and his unit for a 15 month deployment to Baghdad.  Not wanting to sit around in a Troop Clinic, Curtis was attached to an Air Force Security Forces Detachment as their medic.  He participated in over 100 mounted and dismounted patrols (mostly in Sadr City).  Then came the phone call on 3 April 2008 that a parent does not to receive, especially at work.  Curtis called stating that he was wounded and in the hospital.  Due to security reasons, he could not provided the details but would call later.  It was then I had to notify his mother, wife, and sister.  Just imagine all the questions I got with little information.  I stayed at work in case he called while my wife and daughter spent the rest of the with Curtis' family.  As the long day went on, he finally called.  His vehicle was hit by an EFP that was made for a tank (he's in a humvee so imagine the damage).  He received burns on his face, neck, and arms and small pieces of shrapnel in his neck.  The bad news is his friend and squad leader was killed.  He felt guilty for not saving his friends life and kept saying that he should have also been killed.  For whatever reason, he bent down to pickup something when the EFP went off.  A 3x 6x1 inch piece of the door was embedded in his aid bag, which was just behind his head.  Since that day we talk weekly.  I will have to admit, it has brought us closer.  His unit leaves for Baghdad in about four weeks.  However, due to Army policy he must remain in the States for one year.  He is scheduled to return to his unit sometime in November.  We'll have a long 12 months ahead of us. ------ Richard Worthy

Wife Amber & daughter Kayla

Curtis treating an Iraqi policeman who had just passed out.