Why Didn't You Get Me Out?

I have a relative who served in Vietnam and knew Frank Anton, and thus I was able to read an autographed copy of this book. This is a terrifying account of Anton's five years as a POW. There are many books with this type of account out there, but this one has the added value of political insights into the POW/MIA phenomenon. When Anton finally returned home from years of maltreatment, disease, despair, and watching several fellow prisoners die, he learned that the government knew where he was all along. Anton has found compelling evidence that the US military chose not to rescue POWs while the war was in progress, for various political and strategic reasons; while political lethargy and historical myopia have prevented the rescue of many POWs who are surely still trapped in Southeast Asia or elsewhere. One potential source of controversy in this book is Anton's harsh but ultimately levelheaded coverage of the court-martialed turncoat Bobby Garwood. Contrasting information about Garwood has been published elsewhere, so approach this subject with an open mind. But otherwise, Anton has great insight into the continuing drama surrounding the experiences of himself and his comrades, as well as POW/MIAs in general and how the American leadership really does see missing servicemen as political collateral. In Anton's view, this is a betrayal that should cause real concern among military personnel and those dedicated to fighting for their country. [~doomsdayer520~]

In January of 1968, helicopter pilot Warrant Officer Frank Anton was shot down in Southern Vietnam and spent 5 years in captivity. Many prominent books have been written of U.S. POW's in Hanoi's prisons but this story is a riveting look at POW's held in prison camps in Southern Vietnam which may have been worse.Frank Anton has written a very detailed and graphic account of severly brutal conditions and treatments he and others suffered at the hands of the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. For 3 of his 5 years in confinement in the south (he spent time in 4 different camps), he weaves a harrowing tale of torture, starvation, non-existent medical treatment, disease, and barbarity suffered by prisoners. He further adds that during his confinement, he was witness to many Americans dying in the camps and also of betrayal and enemy collaboration by one of their own.After 3 years of confinement in the south, Anton and the surviving members of his camp, in an incredible display of courage, strength, and determination, are forced to march on foot for an astonishing 6 months to one of Hanoi's prison camps known as the Plantation. For an additional 2 years, this was Anton's new home before being released from captivity in 1973.Upon arriving home, Frank Anton was debriefed by the military and he eventually found out, to his dismay and horror, that our government know exactly where he was the entire time he was being held and that no serious attempts were considered to rescue him or his fellow soldiers.In the last chapter of this book, which is absolutely astonishing, you will find out why no attempts were made to rescue many POW's. Additionally, you will learn the current fate of large numbers of POW's that were left behind and are currently unaccounted for in Vietnam. This information is highly disturbing and tragic and paints a very callous and unscrupulous portrait of our government with their regard to our missing servicemen.This book is exceptionally good and comes highly recommended. As a side note, Pfc Robert Garwood (possibly the most notorious U.S. POW collaborator of the Vietnam war) is featured prominently in parts of this book. For those interested in the complete story of Robert Garwood, you would be well rewarded by reading "Conversations With The Enemy: The Story of Pfc Robert Garwood" by Winston Groom and Duncan Spencer.

I first meet Frank Anton when he and I were in Florida in 2002. We had just landed our Huey helicopter and he came out on the airfield to talk to us. That conversation got me really interested in learning more about his man. He handed me a signed copy of his paperback book, "Why Didn't You Get Me Out?" I devoured it, much like a starving man might over indulge on his first meal after a long fast. The book hooks your interest from the very beginning. You are pulled into the real life story of a survivor. He spent five brutal years at the hands of NVA and the VC. He lived in conditions that others would never survive in. He was staved, tortured and held captive while holding out hope that his government would come and get him out of there. His first person accounts of what happened inside his POW camp and the betrayal by a fellow American solider will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is not a fairly tale told by some Hollywood script writer for some Rambo character -- this is the real McCoy American hero story. You will find this to be one of the best accounts of being held captive to come out of the Vietnam War. Certainly this is a must read if you wish to have a fuller understanding of the total history of that period of our nations history. It will make you question our own government non-actions and responses. It may even have you asking the same question that Frank did, "Why Didn't You Get Me Out?"

The 525th Military Intelligence Group (525MIG), which supported Military Intelligence (MI) efforts in Vietnam was a maze of political infighting, enormous potential, a deep pool of talent, and daily petty bickering. The POW mission was assigned to the 6th BN, 525MIG, which was a unilateral covert intelligence collection element. Other battalions and detachments had periperial responsibilities. Those of us who were young counterintelligence agents, mostly sergeants, lived on the edge during our one-year tour. Most of us worked hard. Cases such as that of Mr. Anton's were the most difficult to understand. Mainly we would task our human sources, receive information and pass that information onto higher headquarters in the form of Intelligence Research Reports (IRRs). We never received any feedback as to the value of the information collected. We worked hard to find you, Mr. Anton, we really did! Somewhere after the reports left the hands of the ground-pounding, doorbell ringing, CI Special Agents, the Politicians took over. I am sorry, Chief, I truly am sorry about what happened to you and the others you wrote about. I did my best but it wasn't good enough. [SSG (E6),MOS 97B40, CI Special Agent; 1st Bn, 525MIG, DaNang, 1967-1968]

Frank Anton was captured by the VietCong when his helicopter was shot down by deadly accurate anti-aircraft fire. He was held prisoner in three of the worst death camps in South VietNam, and was able to survive three years of jungle captivity while ten of his fellow prisoners died of disease, starvation, and torture. An aramda of American rescue helicopters approached his jungle prison but didn't complete the mission - why? It would take years after his release from an additional two of years of being a prisoner of the North Vietnamese in Hanoi before Frank would know why they didn't get him out. A powerful book, one that will bring most readers to tears as even the strongest men give up the will to live another day in their jungle hell