| Francis G. Anton |
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| Rank, Service |
| Chief Warrant Officer 4, CW4, U.S. Army |
| Veteran of: |
U.S. Army 1967-1987
Cold War 1967-1987
Vietnam War 1967-1973 (POW)
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| Tribute: |
Frank Anton was born in 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He entered Army Rotary-Wing Pilot Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama, on January 31, 1966, and he was commissioned a Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army and received his Army Aviator Badge on March 14, 1967. Anton was sent to Southeast Asia in April 1967, and was assigned to the 71st Aviation Company of the 145th Aviation Battalion, 12th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade in the Republic of Vietnam. He flew UH-1C Firebird helicopters in combat from April 1967 until he was shot down on January 5, 1968. Anton was captured by the Viet Cong 12 hours after he crash landed and was later moved into the North Vietnamese prison system as a Prisoner of War. After spending 1,897 days in captivity, CWO Anton was released during Operation Homecoming on March 16, 1973. Anton returned to flying status after his release, and spent the rest of his Army career at Fort Monmouth and Fort Dix, New Jersey. He retired from the Army at Patrick AFB, Florida, on July 31, 1987. After retiring, Frank went to work as a pilot for United Airlines and retired as a Boeing 727 pilot in 1997. Also in 1997, Frank Anton published a book about his experiences as a POW titled "Why Didn't You Get Me Out? Betrayal in the Viet Cong Death Camps, The Truth about Heroes, Traitors, & Those Left Behind". |
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