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Forget New Hampshire, this candidate stumps in Norman

By Julianna Parker
THE NORMAN TRANSCRIPT (NORMAN, Okla.)

NORMAN, Okla. — While many candidates for president were trying to pull in last minute votes in New Hampshire, one candidate spent his time in Norman.

Gen. Jerry Curry spoke to Cleveland County Republicans at a luncheon at Coaches Restaurant Tuesday.

The Republican from Virginia seems like he’s entering the race a bit late — he won’t officially declare his candidacy until Jan. 22 — but he said he’s overcome such obstacles before. He overcame the prejudice of his mixed racial heritage, he said. He also became a general after he started out as a private, even though everyone said he couldn’t, Curry said.

“I’ve been told now that it’s too late (to run) …” he said. “What I say is yes, it’s all true, except this: when we get to the finish line, let’s see who the last man standing is, and I have a feeling it’s gonna be me.”

The two-star general seems to be serious about his candidacy. He will be on the Republican primary ballot in about 15-20 states, including Oklahoma, he said.

“What it is is enough to make me a player in the national convention,” Curry said.

He said he’s spent the past several days in the Norman area.

“Oklahoma is the heartland of America. I really think if folks here invite you to the bosom of your state” you can win over any state, he said.

Curry has a 34-year active military career serving in Korea and Vietnam, and was the military deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Carter administration, press secretary to the secretary of defense in the Reagan administration and administrator of the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration in the Bush Sr. administration.

Curry’s military background will be an asset if he is elected president, he said.

“I really think a lot of the problems in our future are going to be military problems.”

How would he secure America’s borders? Once he became president, he would call the secretary of defense into his office and tell him he has 90 days to do whatever necessary to secure the borders, Curry said. By the end of that time, the borders would be secure.

How would he solve problems with Iran?

“The way I would handle that is very simple. I think you tell the world, the United Nations, Iran, you tell everybody you can, ‘This is bad stuff, stop it. If you don’t stop it, we’re going to have a problem.’ And if they don’t stop it, you just sink all their boats.”

Military force is not the answer to every problem, Curry clarified. Issues such as education and the economy will be decided in other ways.

Curry’s hard-line stance may not be popular, but he said America needs a decisive leader, something that sets him apart from other candidates.

“I am trying to say to you that if I became president my approach to it would be that a lot of things are pretty simple, but they wouldn’t be easy. There’ll be a lot of toes stepped on, a lot of things that folks won’t appreciate, but I am not convinced that America needs change, I think that America needs progress.”

For more information about Curry, visit

CurryforAmerica.com.

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A decorated combat veteran, Army Aviator, Paratrooper and Ranger, Jerry entered the U.S. Army as a private during the Korean War and worked his way up to Major General before retiring. Most of his time was spent in troop assignments in the United States, Germany and Korea. He also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Carter Administration, as Press Secretary to the Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration, and worked in international relations, public affairs, management, aviation, and research and development. Along the way, he earned a bachelors degree from the University of Nebraska/Omaha, an M.A. in International Relations from Boston University, and a doctorate from Luther Rice Seminary.

During the Viet Nam War, Jerry was a U.S. Advisor to a South Vietnamese infantry regiment and flew helicopters and reconnaissance planes. In the military he was known for his forceful leadership skills and his demonstrated ability to perform multiple tasks concurrently well, particularly under crisis conditions.

General Curry commanded the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM) headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. TECOM was responsible for performing Engineering Development Testing to determine whether all Army equipment including jeeps, trucks of all types, self propelled artillery, tanks, electronics, airplanes, helicopters and missiles is safe to operate, free from defects and is in compliance with all of the Army's technical specifications.

TECOM's subordinate commands include the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Dugway Proving Ground, Edgewood Arsenal, Jefferson Proving Ground, Yuma Proving Ground, the Electronics Proving Ground, Army Aviation Test Center at Fort Rucker, Cold Region Test Center in Alaska, and the Tropic Test Center in Panama.

At the time of his retirement Jerry was Deputy V Corps Commander in Frankfurt, Germany. He then worked in the private sector and spent three years as Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the Bush Administration. He is currently an opera singer and business consultant.