Under the Cover of Light

The Extraordinary Story of USAF COL Thomas "Jerry" Curtis's 7 1/2 -Year Captivity in North Vietnam

De: Carole Engle Avriett

Narrado por: Jonathan Yen

In 1965, Col. Thomas "Jerry" Curtis's helicopter was shot down over North Vietnam. He was immediately captured and spent seven and a half years confined in a filthy cell at the notorious Hanoi prison camp. Thousands of miles from home and unable to communicate with his wife and children, Jerry endured months of solitary confinement, suffocating heat, freezing cold, grueling physical and psychological torture, constant hunger, and unimaginable mental duress.

And yet, time and again, the Light that darkness cannot overcome became his beacon of hope. Now, for the first time, Jerry shares the full story of his 2,703 days in captivity and what he learned about faith, hope, and the indomitable power of the human spirit.

©2017 Carole Engle Avriett (P)2017 Tantor

Learned more than I already knew

The story is compelling, inspiring and interesting. A man should never have to go through what these men lived and struggled through. Faith is definitely helpful to have.

I wore a POW/MIA bracelet for Tom Curtis for several years. It had Maj. Thomas J. Curtis on it with the 20 September 1965. It was just an ID bracelet. I wore it 24/7 for years. I was in high school and every time I looked down at it I thought of him and often prayed for him. When I wore it I did not know if he was a POW or MIA. I remember how I felt when I saw his name on the list of released prisoners in the newspaper! I received a letter from the people who put out the bracelets saying to return it to them so they could give them to the returned prisoners. I regret to this day that I returned it. I received a letter later from him thanking me for wearing it and asking me to keep it or wear it in memory of those who did not return. I still have that letter tucked away.

Years later I spoke to then retired Col. Curtis. I tracked him down through investigative work I did myself. His name was common so it was not easy. I started with basic assumptions like he was probably about my father's age, probably lived in Louisiana or Texas. (The letter came from Louisiana and as I later learned he was born a year after my father) I found him and decided to call. His wife Terri answered and after I told her I wore his bracelet she was very excited. She said he would be very happy to hear from me. He was outside and came to take the call. We spoke for about an hour. I thought he said he stayed in the USAF and taught pilots for a number of years before teaching middle school. The book does not say what he told me about that.

I found the book interesting especially since I had a connection to the story and the family. Last week I saw a video about Col. Curtis and listened to him tell a bit of the story. A difficult but good read.i

Faith can sustain you in the very darkest places

The story of a true American hero one how his faith in God sustained him through 2700 days as a POW in the Hanoi Hilton. This is not a Rambo war story. It is the story of a man who ended up in the worst circumstance. It is a tale of resilience we cannot even imagine. Well worth the read.

Fantastic Story!!!!!!

This is a very uplifting story that took place during a very dark time in the author's life. His ability and that of his fellow P.O.W.'s to stay steadfast to their faith and ideals is a true inspiration. This book should be required reading for all teenagers and anyone who thinks that their life is hard or difficult. Not an ounce of victim mentality in this man or his story, even though he was a true victim.

powerful story from a p o w in Vietnam.

I've never been into war stories, but this story was one that I was sure that I would have missed out on had I not read it. the things this man had to endure and was able to with the resiliency of his faith in God was very moving. By the end of this story I was more appreciative of the freedom that soldiers like this have fought for us.

Great story of faith

True war stories are my favorite genre, this was an excellent book on all levels except the narration. The reader was overly cheerful and it took me half the book to learn to ignore it, but it's still worth the listen.