HONORING VETERANS IN KEY WEST

In honor of Veterans Day on Nov. 11, and Key West’s deep-rooted relationship with the military, Keys Weekly honors local veterans of all ages, who have served all over the world, from Iraq and Bosnia to Korea, Kosovo, Vietnam and everywhere in between. We thank you for your service and your dedication to our freedom,  on Veterans Day and every other day of the year. 

JERRY CURTIS – U.S. Army

Jerry Curtis served in the U.S. Army for nearly 28 years, from 1971 to 1998. His two brothers also served in the Army and Air Force, each earning a Bronze Star in combat.

“I had graduated from Key West High School, then attended Miami Dade College a while, but I got frustrated with the crime rate in Miami. I figured I’d go into the Army and get my head straight, while also helping my mom financially,” he said. 

Curtis’ first duty station was in Colorado, where he saw snow for the first time ever. He then served in Germany, Kentucky, as a drill instructor in South Carolina, then North Carolina. Curtis became a command sergeant major, the highest rank an enlisted soldier can earn.

“I did two tours in Korea. I fought in the first Gulf War. We started in Saudi Arabia, then went  into Iraq. I also fought in the Panama invasion, Bosnia and Kosovo.

“The highlight of my career was having 2,000 young men serve under me,” Curtis said. “I knew all their names, their wives’ names and their kids’ names. In fact, I’m going up this weekend to North Carolina to visit some of them.”

COL. BOB NOSSOV – U.S. Army

“You don’t do 32 years in the U.S. Army because you have to,” said Col. Bob Nossov, who grew up in an Army family, and graduated high school in Panama. He is a proud member of the 3rd Armored Cavalry, and wrapped up his career with JIATF, doing drug interdiction here in Key West.

He went to Ranger and Airborne school. His wife, Pat Nossov, is also an Army veteran and veterinarian.

“None of my jobs were ever the same,” he said. “I was in every country in South America, except Venezuela and Uruguay.

“I served because I wanted to, not because I had to. You don’t do 32 years because you have to.” Nossov is as proud of his 32-year military career as he is of his 39-year marriage. 

JIM BRADY – U.S. Army

Jim Brady served in the U.S. Army’s Air Defense Artillery from 1976 to 1983, working to repair the electronic systems of the Army’s HAWK missile outfits, some of which were located in Key West, particularly during the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s. 

“I joined the Army to learn a trade in electronics, and to ‘be all I could be,’” he said, chuckling, during a recent afternoon at the Southernmost VFW Post 3911. “After the Army, I worked as a technical writer for Raytheon, the company that created the HAWK missile systems. I moved to Key West in 1987 and ran the dog racing track on Stock Island.” (Stay tuned to Keys Weekly for more on that slice of local history.) 

CAPT. PHILLIP ‘CURLY’ McGINN – U.S. Navy

Capt. Phillip “Curly” McGinn joined the U.S. Navy in 1966 to “do my patriotic duty.”

As a petty officer, he first spent a year on a navy radar site in the Arctic Circle, then in 1968 volunteered to go to Vietnam, where he worked in Special Forces Navy Riverine Squadron.

“I was down south in the delta region. It was ‘Apocalypse Now’ sort of stuff,” McGinn said. “Then in 1970, I was discharged and returned to Madison, Wisconsin as a ‘student’ and was besieged by radical anti-war protesters.”

ROOSEVELT SANDS – U.S. Army 

Roosevelt Sands, now 91,  wanted to be a U.S. Marine, but was turned away, both in Key West and Miami.

“I had dropped out of college at the end of my second year, and I wanted to commit to military service,” he said. “But the sergeant at the recruiting office said no, that he had already met his quota, even though there was an article in the Miami Herald that same week saying the Marines were needing men. So I came back home to Key West, and waited to be drafted.”

He was indeed drafted and immediately after basic training was sent to Korea. 

“All during basic training, we were preparing to go to Korea,” he said. “My brother was already serving in Japan. Then, after I got out, I became the first sergeant of the Army Reserve outfit here in Key West for 16 years.”

Mandy Miles drops stuff, breaks things and falls down more than any adult should. An award-winning writer, reporter and columnist, she's been stringing words together in Key West since 1998. "Local news is crucial," she says. "It informs and connects a community. It prompts conversation. It gets people involved, holds people accountable. The Keys Weekly takes its responsibility seriously. Our owners are raising families in Key West & Marathon. Our writers live in the communities we cover - Key West, Marathon & the Upper Keys. We respect our readers. We question our leaders. We believe in the Florida Keys community. And we like to have a good time." Mandy's married to a saintly — and handy — fishing captain, and can't imagine living anywhere else.