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First Name
Robert
Middle Name
S.
Last Name
Fant
Birthdate
Hometown
Anderson, SC
Rank
Commander
Service Branch
Navy
Date Captured
Date Repatriated
Pre Capture Image
PreCapture Description
Bob Fant enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve on December 8, 1960, and went on active duty beginning January 16, 1961. His first assignment was as a Yeoman aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CVS-10), followed by Officer Candidate School until he was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy in February 1962. Ensign Fant next served as an Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer aboard the destroyer USS Waller (DD-466) from February 1962 to July 1964, and then completed Naval Flight Officer training in June 1965. Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Fant then served as an Anti-Submarine Warfare Tactical Coordinator aboard P2V Neptune and P3B Orion aircraft with VP-26 at NAS Brunswick, Maine, from June 1965 to January 1967, followed by F-4 Phantom II Replacement Air Group training with VF-101 at NAS Key West, Florida, from January to June 1967. Lieutenant Fant next served as an F-4 Radar Intercept Officer with VF-102 at NAS Oceana, Virginia, from June 1967 to May 1968, and then deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS America (CVA-66) from May 1968 until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on July 25, 1968.
Post Release Image
Post Release Description
Lieutenant Commander Fant was released during “Operation Homecoming” on March 14, 1973. He then completed F-4 RAG training with VF-101 from October 1973 to July 1974. Commander Fant attended Armed Forces Staff College from February to July 1974, and then served as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) Training Officer with Fleet Aviation Specialized Operational Training Group Atlantic at NAS Brunswick, Maine, from August 1974 to January 1977. His next assignment was with VP-30 at NAS Jacksonville, Florida, from January to April 1977, and then with Patrol Wing 5 at NAS Brunswick from April 1977 to August 1978. Commander Fant's final assignment was on the staff of the Armed Forces Staff College from August 1978 until his retirement from the Navy on June 1, 1980. After his retirement from the Navy, Bob worked for the U.S. Forest Service before serving as a civilian Survival Training Specialist with the U.S. Navy Survival School at NAS Brunswick from 1981 to 2005.
Honors, Citations, and Commendations
- Legion of Merit
- Bronze Star
- Prisoner of War Medal
Passed away before release
Post Release