Michael T. Curriden Obituary, Death – Michael T. Curriden, an Alexandria, Virginia resident, passed away on March 29, 2023. Brother to Nancy, father to Michael and Brian, grandfather to Evan, Caitlin, and Gavin Mainardi, and husband to Catherine Dailey Curriden. Indescribable loss will be felt by many. Mike was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1946, but he spent most of his formative years in Pennsville. With a degree in literature, he left Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1968.
Under his university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army and placed in the infantry. Mike served for over 5 years, during which time he was stationed in several military installations such as Ft. Gordon, Georgia; Coleman and Turley Barracks in Mannheim, Germany; Fort. Sherman, Canal Zone; Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam; and Ft. Meade, Maryland.
The 5th Infantry Division was the most northernly deployed significant U.S. formation in South Vietnam when Mike was stationed there in 1969. Bronze Star for heroism, Vietnamese Honor Medal, 1st Class, Purple Heart, and Army Commendation Medal are all military awards and decorations. In 1973, he began his civilian career working for the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he would spend the next four decades as a trusted senior counselor and specialist on civilian personnel law issues across all areas of human resources.
The Director of Central Intelligence Meritorious Unit Award, the DIA Director’s Award for Outstanding Civilian Service, and the DIA Award for Distinguished Civilian Service are among his civilian honors. Mike was also honored with a distinguished DIA award for his advocacy on behalf of military personnel. In 2001, he left DIA and retired.