By Nancy Angel, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interviews Volunteer

He went to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri for Basic Training and was part of Echo Company. He recalls that they did so much yelling during drills that his voice was often hoarse. He also had to learn a new style of living with a bunch of men, doing a variety of tasks with precision. Tasks such as making a bed that you could bounce a quarter off of, spit-shining shoes and folding a shirt to the width of a dollar bill were just a few. In Basic Training, you learned to do what you were told.

Next Anthony was sent to Da Nang to the Headquarters for the First Logistical Command, and then on to the 57th Transportation Battalion at Chu Lai. In his role as Battalion Clerk, he provided administrative support to several officers and reports for 16 companies. He says that the shorthand and typing he had learned in high school came in handy in this assignment.

Anthony recalls being struck by how hot it was, and within a few minutes of arriving in Vietnam his shirt was soaked. It was also very windy and dusty, so they used sheets to create barriers to keep the barracks from becoming covered in dust. Most men had a little refrigerator in the barracks for drinks and food items they bought from the nearby PX (Post Exchange). It was very inexpensive and you could get a case of beer for $2! He still has some of the “funny money” or military currency that was issued to the soldiers. They often played cards, dice, or cooled off at the nearby beach.

In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Anthony was also a driver, which included transporting officers to various locations. He became friends with the base Supply Sergeant, helping him organize the supply area and learning about how to trade and negotiate to get supplies. When his supply friend was discharged, he recommended Anthony as his replacement. As Supply Sergeant, Anthony was a self-described scrounger. He knew how to find and obtain equipment and supplies needed on his base or other bases. He would leverage excess supplies to barter for luxuries or  items they needed. He built relationships and made friends that helped expedite getting what was needed into the right hands: his! Supplies left the base in truck convoys loaded with everything from C-rations and blankets to parts and ammunition. Anthony assisted officers in the “deadline inspection” before the convoy was sent out. If any of the trucks were not up to par, they were “deadlined” and removed from the convoy. When they didn’t have enough trucks in working order, or if supplies were needed sooner than the convoy could deliver them, Anthony would work with the Air Force to air drop supplies from a C-130. He rode along on some of these drops, which involved having the supplies loaded onto a skid and dropping the skid with a parachute. Sometimes the plane would land coming to a slow roll, drop the skid onto the runway, then take off immediately without ever stopping.

Just before leaving Vietnam,  Anthony was dispatched to the airport for a driving assignment. When he arrived at the airport, he saw a great deal of commotion and excitement and realized that it was Bob Hope that had arrived. Anthony’s assignment was to drive three of the Golddiggers, the 12-woman singing and dancing group that accompanied Bob Hope on his USO tour. Anthony was thrilled! He recalls, “I thought I’d gone to heaven!” Back at the base, besides getting to see the Bob Hope show, he also accompanied the Lieutenant Colonel to a meeting with Bob Hope. Anthony was able to meet him personally as well as Connie Stevens, Miss World 1967 and Neil Armstrong. It was quite a memorable day!

When he was discharged, Anthony was flown from Vietnam to Seattle for processing out. He remembers he was given a big steak dinner and a plane ticket to anywhere in the United States. So, Anthony and some of his buddies went to Las Vegas for a little fun before buying their tickets home to Chicago. The welcome and treatment they received at the airport in Chicago was mixed. Some of them were actually spat on, but when they ordered a huge breakfast at a restaurant, the cook, himself a World War II veteran, paid for their breakfast. Anthony took a cab home from the airport and had the driver drop him off at the end of his block so he could walk up his street. He was greeted and welcomed by some of his neighbors, but his parents were both at work. A neighbor loaned Anthony their car to go and surprise his parents. Of course they both cried when they saw him. For the first several days at home, there was a steady stream of friends and family coming to welcome him home, bringing food and gifts.

Anthony obtained positions as a special police officer at First National Bank and then for Lakeshore National Bank. He was also a police officer for the Village of Crestwood, Illinois. Later he was assigned special police jobs for the Chicago Tribune and provided security and protection for several WGN TV personalities, including Bozo the Clown. He enjoyed the work and had the opportunity to meet and get to know many interesting people over his 22 years with the Tribune.

While working at First National Bank, he met his wife Kathleen, to whom he has now been married for 44 years. Together they have two daughters and three grandchildren.