CURTIS STRODE

A member of the Howitzer Battery, 3/278th ACR in Sparta, Strode, who has several years of active service with the U.S. Army and the Sparta National Guard unit, will be deployed to Iraq with the L Troop of the 3/278th.

Strode’s goal was to complete 20 years of service in the military, which is a goal he started working on in the early ’80s. He joined the active Army in 1982.

“I was always military-minded,” he said. “I have uncles who have served for 20-plus years. Going through junior and senior high school, I was always in the ROTC programs. I went to college for two years and took ROTC there. Schooling wasn’t for me, so I went to the military where I knew I was good at it and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

He spent seven years on active duty, joined the National Guard as a part-time soldier in 1991 and then went on full time with the National Guard in 2002. He has been serving there full time as an administrative specialist.

Strode is a platoon sergeant with the Sparta unit, which is in charge of a large group of soldiers’ safety and well being. He will be a squad leader with L Troop. He said he expects to be supervising soldiers who are conducting checks in Iraq and doing border patrol work.

Strode said people can “pray for all the troops all over the world and their safety.” He is married to spouse Alicia. The couple has two sons, Curtis Jr. and Marcus. He is the son of James and Jeannette Strode.