Why Didn't You Get Me Out?: A POW's Nightmare in Vietnam [Mass Market Paperback]

Frank Anton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2000

Frank anton went to Vietnam in 1967 to serve the country he loved. Now, more than thirty years later, he tells the story of how his own government failed him...

For give hellish years, American soldier Frank Anton was held as a POW in Vietnam. Subject to disease, starvation, and physical and psychological torture, Anton and his fellow prisoners held out hope that the U.S. government would find and rescue them.

When he was finally freed in 1973, Anton returned to the United States bruised and battered. And the most devastating blow of all had yet to even be struck. Upon his release, Anton and debriefed by the government and saw both aerial photographs of the prison camps where he was held and a close-us picture of himself walking the grueling Ho Chi Minh Trail. The government had known all along where and when Anton and his fellow soldiers were being held--and made no attempt to rescue them.

now, in this harrowing first-person account and shocking expose, Frank Anton recounts his years as a POW and the aftermath--devoting his life to understanding why and how his own government left him and others to suffer and possibly die in the Vietnamese prison camps. And the answers he's uncovered will forever astound and disturb you.

With eight pages of dramatic photos
A main selection of the Military Book Club

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (June 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312974884
• ISBN-13: 978-0312974886
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Vietnam War

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Angle? YES!!, October 23, 2000

By 

Mcgivern Owen L (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Why Didn't You Get Me Out?: A POW's Nightmare in Vietnam (Mass Market Paperback)

"Why Didn't You Get Me Out?" should go hand in hand with George J. Veith's "Code Name Bright Light" in relating the appallingly hard-hearted and callous attitude the U.S. Government had towards the POWs and MIAs during the Indochina War. The more I read on the subject, two events take place: The first is that certain stories and key players keep reappearing (Jerry Mooney of NSA, General Tighe of DIA, Colonel Mike Peck, etc). The more they appear in the same form in different sources, the truer they must be. The second is that I find new information, such as the contents of Warrant Officer Anton's book. As WO Anton relates, the US had solid photographic intelligence of the locations of Viet Cong prison camps and often traced prisoner movements through the jungles all the way to Hanoi. WO Anton, in fact, is told years later that the US made no rescue attempts so as not to expose their sources!. Why develop sources if the information they provide goes unused? "Why Didn't You Get Me Out?" is unique in that most POW tales are set in the major Hanoi prisons such as The Plantation (Anton's last stop) or the infamous "Hanoi Hilton". Anton concentrates his focus on the putrid, festering smaller jungle camps he suffered through on the long trek from his capture in the Que Son Valley to the "relative comfort" of the Plantation. It's all here-the the dysentary, the skin leeches, the cruel guards(and some who were not), the attempts to reeducate/brainwash as well as the infamous Marine, Bobby Garwood, who colaborated with the enemy. Anton leaves no doubt as to the ultimate Vietnam?Indochina question" DID EVERYBODY COME HOME? Those of us who have followed things through the years know the answer is a resounding "NO!". "Why Didn't You Get Me Out" is recommended for any serious student of the Indochina War as well as those with a paticular interest in the fate of the 1.993 (as of October 23, 2000)MIAs still out there. After all these years and after spending one year of my life over there, it's just unreal how many sides there were to that War. This is a first rate new side/ new look. Those who have yet to read George Veith's book should try both.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Left Behind, May 13, 2005

By 

doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Why Didn't You Get Me Out?: A POW's Nightmare in Vietnam (Mass Market Paperback)

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~]

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Didn't You get Me Out?, October 18, 2002

By 

W. H. McDonald Jr. "The American Author Assoc... (Elk Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Why Didn't You Get Me Out?: A POW's Nightmare in Vietnam (Mass Market Paperback)

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?"