Curtis was born March 9, 1982 in Hamilton, Ohio and passed away January 3, 2012. He was the second child. Curtis was very close with his older sister, Annie. Growing up Curtis went to church every week, went to a small catholic school, and played sports with family and friends. Curtis was an avid athlete growing up and in high school he played baseball his freshman year and football all four years, under a coach he admired. Curtis graduated from Stephen T. Baldwin High School. The fall after high school graduation he enrolled in classes at Miami University, where he attended his freshman year. After the events on 9/11/2001 Curtis immediately enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He graduated from USMC Parris Island boot camp on April 14, 2002. He trained in Maryland and was stationed in San Diego, CA. Curtis’ MOS was a Combat Engineer and was attached to a Marine Air Wing in San Diego, CA. He was deployed three times to Iraq, Al Anbar Providence, and Baghdad. There he was part of a communication squadron that provided communication equipment into the desert. Curtis made sure the generators continued working because that is what kept the equipment cooled in the high temperatures. After his deployments he frequented the Cincinnati VA. Curtis was an avid outdoorsman; he found his peace in the woods. Curtis worked at the Dayton National Cemetery, where he took pride in honoring fallen brethren. He requested his final resting place to be Dayton National Cemetery. – submitted by family.