From Private to General: An African-American Soldier Rises Through the Ranks
Jerry Curry is a man who might have become President if he had chosen politics instead of the military. His insights into politics and military strategy are particularly relevant to the current situation in Iraq and the lessons in leadership that he presents are of timeless benefit to any reader. His descriptions of combat in Vietnam are particularly fascinating.
From Private to General: An African-American Soldier Rises through the Ranks is the true-life story of Jerry Curry, a steel mill worker from the small town of Liberty, Pennsylvania who enlisted in the Army as a young private and rose to the rank of major general, a feat almost unheard of. Curry’s gripping account of an African American man determined to succeed in a white-dominated culture, facing the barriers of racism and elitism without compromising his values or becoming a victim, while relying on God, is inspiring to everyone. Most importantly, this is a story of Christian convictions, faith, hope, and love.
The book takes Curry from post-partition Korea to Cold War Germany (where the threat of Soviet invasion kept everyone on edge), to the terrifying jungles of Vietnam, to the halls of the White House and the Pentagon as the Commanding General for the District of Washington, as Press Secretary to the Secretary of Defense and as Administrator of the National Traffic and Safety Administration. He shares fresh insights on trusting God, racial harmony, challenges in the military, principles of leadership and the role of America in the world today.
From Private to General won an IPPY Award, presented by Independent Publisher, at Book Expo America 2007.
Both From Private to General and Curry’s wife’s autobiography, The General’s Lady, are winners of 2007 IPPY awards for multi-cultural non-fiction. It is unprecedented for parallel autobiographies of a spousal team to have been published at the same time and for both to win IPPY awards. Each book is unique, written from the individual author’s own perspective. Jerry Curry writes of his awesome career journey, rising through the ranks as an African American soldier who entered the army as an enlisted man and endured the intense challenges of combat and political infighting in the military. Charlene Curry’s book documents her personal spiritual journey as a military spouse who faces her own challenges in raising her family while meeting the expectations placed upon her.
