Francis Eugene Cannon was a United States Army soldier who died as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. His remains returned to United States custody in 1985 and were identified as such months later.
Biography[]
Francis Cannon was born on December 11, 1944 to Frank and Violet Cannon. Growing up, he had two sisters Vertalee and Margaret. He attended Phoenix Union High School and joined the United States Army in April 1967. He completed basic training in Fort Bliss, Texas and advanced training in radio communications at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
During the Vietnam War, Francis was a member of Company D, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade. On January 8, 1968, Company A and Company D were ambushed by the North Vietnamese Army and the Vietcong in the Quang Tin Province, (South) Vietnam. During the battle, Francis was wounded from an exploding mortar shell. He and seven others were captured, and several others killed or wounded. The next day, two more were captured as their units searched for the wounded and missing.
The captured soldiers were sent to the POW camp known as "Bravo." During his captivity, Francis' wounds became gangrenous and even though they improved during the summer of 1968, he grew weaker and eventually fell into a coma. He died from dysentery and malnutrition on September 8, 1968.
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