Garry’s book covers life on the frontline
Emotional book ‘a love story for men and women’
AN ex-soldier and dad-offour from Hillingdon who was taken hostage in Libya has written an emotional book that covers the break-up of his marriage and a suicide attempt earlier this year.
Garry Curtis was born in Hillingdon and lived in Yeading and Hayes for most of his life and served in a number of conflicts during his military career, including Iraq in 2003.
The 48-year-old has detailed his amazing life in ‘Incoming!’, an autobiography which covers not just his time in the military, but also his childhood.
Mr Curtis told the Gazette: “You do not have to be a soldier to be in a bad place.
“Pride kills, so I hope many reading this will see a way out. They need to.
“This took the almostdeath of me to write and I can only hope to help many thousands of people out there.
“This is a love story for the ladies and the men. It is not a war story, war is just the backdrop.
“It is the emotions, the heartfelt warmth of a genuine guy, a kid that grew up in a grimy Hayes council estate.”
Starting off in the army cadets in Southall, Mr Curtis joined the Royal Marines Commandos in 1985. After an illustrious career serving in Northern Ireland and the Gulf War, Mr Curtis has been a military parachutist, has advanced medical skills and is trained in offensive and defensive driving, self defence and weapons.
His impressive career has also seen him serve as a bodyguard for VIPs including the Beckhams and top diplomats.
He also worked for the London Fire Brigade during the 1990s.
Mr Curtis, who now works as a hostile environment and media consultant and spends much of his time in Mosul, Iraq, also documents the darker side of his life.
In 2012, Mr Curtis was injured in Afghanistan and went under the knife four times over two years and almost died of blood poisoning.
The injury left Mr Curtis unable to work while he recovered, causing him financial problems, which were later made worse when his partner left him after he had an affair.
Mr Curtis said he tried to commit suicide in September last year.
He said: “I could not face life any more.
“Too proud to ask for help, no money, a loser, a total waste of space, no good to anyone.
“When I looked back at everything I’ve done, I smile and think ‘yeah, I did good. I should be proud’.”
Published in November, ‘Incoming!’ is available on Amazon. EMOTIONAL: