On the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice, the agreement that halted fighting in the Korean War by establishing a Demilitarized Zone and a ceasefire that continues today, our National Medal of Honor Heritage Center hosted Medal of Honor recipient COL Ralph Puckett, whose citation details his actions in Korea.

But there was another distinguished guest at that event, a man who, from very humble beginnings, has excelled in his service to our nation. He is BG Stephen Curda (USA, Ret), the first Korean-born American to reach the rank of Army Flag Officer.

Stephen was an impoverished child in South Korea who was adopted by an American family at age 12 and spent 30 years as an Army officer, the last five as a Brigadier General. Having also earned an MA and PhD, he taught at several military universities and, after retiring, has held key civilian university faculty and administrative roles focusing on service to Veterans.

At the Armistice anniversary event, his life story and his love for our great nation led to the standing applause of every Patriot in the room, including his former boss, the four-star general in charge of the U.S. Combined Forces Command, Republic of Korea.

When I let him know I was writing this profile, he objected, as a humble soldier with a servant’s heart would. But I wrote it anyway!

Stephen was the youngest of five boys growing up in Seoul. His father died when he was three. His mother was left with young children, no education, illiterate, and no job, which made life very difficult for the family. They squatted on land in a hut built from whatever materials they could find to hold back the rain and cold. Repeatedly, thugs seeking money would demolish their small hut. The family would then relocate and rebuild, seeking a safer place to live.

Stephen’s mother worked whatever jobs she could find — selling trinkets or street food, farm work, day labor, anything to bring in some income to feed her growing boys. Sometimes she worked three jobs a day, but on Sunday, she and the family were always in her Christian church. Sunday services became a big part of Stephen’s life.

Their pastor often traveled to the U.S., where he received assistance for his ministry. After he met a family seeking to adopt Korean children, Stephen’s mom told him that he and his older brother would be going to live in America.

He moved in with that family in the small town of Milan, Michigan, and was the first Asian in their community. Speaking no English, his local school administrators placed him in a fourth-grade class, though he should have been in sixth grade, because the teacher had participated in an Asian exchange program and would be better equipped to help him progress. Motivated to fit in with his peers, he learned English quickly and made many friends. He excelled academically, played sports, and joined the Boy Scouts.

When a junior in high school, his adoptive parents moved the family to Arkansas. He enrolled in a small high school with a junior class of 50 students. Because his algebra teacher was on maternity leave when he enrolled, and the substitute teacher struggled with algebraic formulas, Stephen was able to help her with the class. Realizing he needed more academic challenge midway through his first semester, his parents moved him to the much larger Fort Smith High School, arranging for him to stay in a local boarding house during the week so he could attend.

At Ft. Smith High, he was introduced to the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC).

He also made lifelong friends there — and he and his two closest friends called themselves the Three Stooges. There was Maurice, who was black and chiseled as though right out of a muscle magazine, and Rob, a 6ft-4in white guy. Stephen and Rob decided to attend the University of Arkansas on ROTC scholarships, though Rob changed course at the last minute and joined the Air Force. (Years later, Rob would also be promoted to Brigadier General.)

After graduating from UA, Stephen was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, and his first assignment was back in Korea.

Since then, he has commanded units at every echelon from the platoon, company, battalion, brigade, and general officer command. His career overseas duty stations include 2nd Infantry Division, Republic of Korea; Joint Task Force-Bravo, Soto Cano AB, Honduras; Ft. Davis, Panama; and commands in Baghdad, Iraq, and Kabul, Afghanistan.

He eventually resigned his commission to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Oklahoma, and while completing his PhD, he was recruited to join the Oklahoma National Guard. From there, he took a faculty position at Florida State University and transitioned to the Army Reserve.

In February 2003, then-Dr. Curda was mobilized and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Returning from deployment, he assumed command of the 451st Civil Affairs Battalion and then the 308th Civil Affairs Brigade. Following his Brigade Commands, he was mobilized and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and served as the U.S. Forces Afghanistan J9 Director, responsible for all U.S. civil/military operations.

Upon his return from Afghanistan, Stephen was promoted to Brigadier General and took command of the 351st Civil Affairs Command (CACOM), Mountain View, California, where he was responsible for all Civil Affairs support activities in the U.S. Pacific Command, including the Combined Forces Command in the Republic of Korea.

He was recalled to active duty again and served as the commander of the 9th Mission Support Command in Fort Shafter, Hawaii. The 9th MSC was responsible for all of the U.S. Army Pacific Reserve Forces located in Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Saipan, Korea, and Japan, and he coined the phrase, “The U.S. Army Reserve Sun rises and sets with the 9th MSC.”

He retired from military service in 2017 with an impressive list of accomplishments by any standard — but for an impoverished kid growing up in a hut in South Korea, his career defies the impossible.

Looking back, he told me: “My service has always been about the privilege of serving alongside extraordinary men and women. Any success I experienced was the result of strong teams, good mentors, and God’s steady guidance.”

On leadership, he said: “I believe leadership is ultimately an act of stewardship. We are entrusted with people, resources, and decisions for a season, and our responsibility is to lead with humility, integrity, and care.”

And on our great country: “America is worth serving not because it is flawless, but because it is grounded in ideals that call us to something higher: freedom, responsibility, and respect for human dignity.”

Stephen and his wife Leslie have five children, all of whom have thriving careers. Fruit does not fall far from the tree…

BG Stephen Curda: Your example of selfless service defending Liberty for all is an example for all Americans!

Live your life worthy of his sacrifice.

(Read more Profiles of Valor here.)

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776

Follow Mark Alexander on X/Twitter.

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