Cade Curtis

Cade Curtis (b. 1931) was an American soldier. He served in the Korean War before and after it was folded into World War III.

Curtis was born in Alabama but grew up in Tennessee. On November 23, 1950, (Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.) Curtis, a second lieutenant, and his men were making their way to Hungnam after Red China's intervention on the side of North Korea. A Chinese surprise attack effectively cut off three U.S. divisions from Hungnam (including Curtis), and began systematically destroying them. While Curtis survived the initial slaughter, he was cut off from other U.S. troops, and was trapped in North Korea.

Curtis was on the run for over a month, scavenging whatever he could find and evading Chinese patrols as he moved south, killing as he needed to. Finally, in January, 1951, Curtis wandered into what he thought was an abandoned village. While foraging, he was taken by surprise by three Koreans. When crossed himself and began a prayer, they crossed themselves as well, revealing themselves to be Catholics as well. With little bits of Latin, they told Curtis that North Korea's leader, Kim Il-sung, had persecuted Christians harshly. Given their shared religion, the three Koreans helped Curtis.