Guyana-born retired US Army Chaplain, Tony Pantlitz is a ‘Special Person’

Mar 13, 2022 News, Special Person

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Defying the odds from rugged streets of Albouystown to the war zone of Iraq…

“I was born a poor lad in a violent village. When I went to school, the teachers called me a fool so I dropped out of high school. Some people called me a good for nothing and said that I’ll never amount to anything. But then, I went to America and joined the military and became a Christian and that saved my life.”

By Rehanna Ramsay

Kaieteur News – There is a common saying that goes like this, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” Well, nothing can be further from the truth because words can sometimes cause deeper pain than any stick or stone, as was the case of this week’s ‘Special Person’, 59-year-old Guyana-born retired US Army Chaplain, Anthony Pantlitz.Some persons may recognise Pantlitz from the short-lived tenure as host of Kaieteur Radio’s ‘Wake up Guyana Show’ where he presented under the moniker ‘Toni from Mahaicony’.

As it is with most people, there is much more to Pantlitz than meets the eyes. He had his fair share of hurdles to cross in life, with the details of his journey being as unique as his fingerprints.
He shared with Kaieteur News that though he was born in Guyana, he migrated to the United States as a teenager. But before leaving for America, Pantlitz admits that his life was on a downward spiral.
Growing up in the relatively depressed community of Albouystown, Georgetown, Guyana, Pantlitz said that he knew nothing more than a life of drugs, alcohol and crime. To make matters worse, when the young Pantlitz attended school, he was told by his teachers that he was destined to fail at life.
“I was called a dunce and they said that I would either end up in jail or die young,” Pantlitz said, as he recalled how those words stung and prompted his next decision – to drop out of high school.

He noted that perhaps, his teacher’s predictions would have proven true in his life if it had not been for the compassion of his aunt, Olga Muesa, who lived in America.
“Aunt Olga,” he said, “decided that she wanted to give my siblings and me a chance at a better life and she sent for us.”
You see, Pantlitz’s mother, Enid, had several other children – Orlton, Wayne, Kairy, Troy, Diane and Denise – to care for and life was hard because his biological father had deserted the family, early on.
Naturally, his mother more than welcomed the opportunity for her children to travel to America to get a shot at a better life. The retired Chaplain said that was the best decision that his mother ever made, because by moving to America the trajectory of his life changed drastically.
The young Pantlitz soon realised that he was not dunce or incapable of learning at all, rather he discovered in America that he had a learning disability and that he was capable of overcoming it.

Not only, did this week’s ‘Special Person’ overcome his learning challenge, but he went back to school, enrolled at Northeastern Bible College, and Columbia Bible College where he earned not one but two Bachelor’s Degrees, in addition to a Master of Divinity Degree at the Howard School of Divinity in Washington, D.C.
He later embarked on a career in the US military and spent his time serving as a US Air Force Chaplain. In short, Pantlitz made something of his life by devoting his time to serving humanity. In hindsight, Pantlitz said that he sees those dark moments in his life as nothing than teachable moments that today he can use his time to give back to the youth of his homeland.
Pantlitz asserted, “Going back to school to get my high school Diploma was my first challenge. Attending university was my next obstacle to overcome. Next, it was the United States Army Basics Training School. Having successfully overcome these hurdles, my greatest hurdle was yet to be overcome, service to America. This I was able to accomplish by being deployed three times to Iraq and Afghanistan.”

OATH TO SERVE
At age 21, Pantlitz had already shown a desire to serve. First, he served as a missionary and just after graduating, the chaplain married his wife, Felicity Quallis.
Soon after, Chaplain (Captain) Pantlitz began his career as an enlisted member of the Army Reserve at Air Force Hurlburt Field, Florida.

As a member of the Special Operation Command, he established guidance and provided advice on all matters pertaining to the religious and moral welfare of Air Force personnel. He was responsible for establishing an effective chaplain programme to meet the religious needs of all members of the Air Force and their dependents.
Pantlitz related, “growing up in Albouystown prepared me for the rough and tough of the US military.” He continued, “I wanted to get away from home and see the world and make a difference in the world so I joined the American military and served 18 months in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

SURVIVING THE WAR
However, Pantlitz soon discovered that nothing could have prepared him for a life in combat. This is where he learnt the true meanings of the words “sacrifice, honour, duty and service above self.”
He recalled that as a father of five, he spent one Thanksgiving in a mortar (bombing) attack in Iraq, where he saw three security guards charred “like burned meat.” For a time, Pantlitz said he lost his faith altogether.

The chaplain’s loss of faith is particularly unfortunate but it was certainly not the end of him.
He recalled that in those dark moments, “A still small voice frequently asked me, where is your God?”
“Experiencing the horrors of war, the loss of lives; sometimes innocent women and children,” he said, “made me feel so isolated and alienated from people, the world, and myself. I felt like a prisoner of a war who had been forgotten on the battlefield.”
Pantlitz said by the time his faith returned, it came with a different force – the numbness, flashbacks and deep isolation remained. He had developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—a condition which is not uncommon for veterans and those surviving the war to develop.
The Chaplain also developed a habit of journaling as a means of relieving himself of the memories that haunted him.
Pantlitz explained, “When I came back from the Iraq war, I brought the war home with me. Like many veterans returning from war, I brought back more baggage than I took. Some of that baggage is dark and frightening. Very few people understand the baggage that I brought home with me, not my family, friends, and even some counsellors do not understand what I experienced in combat.

I cannot blame them. The only people who understand are my fellow veterans who have been there, have done that, and have gotten the t-shirt to prove it.”
He continued, “…When I returned from the war, I brought home memories of dead bodies and not just any kind of dead bodies, but the ones whose stench was terrible.”
“More than a decade after the war, I’m still trying to escape the smell,” he added.
Yet, if he could turn back the hands of time, he said, “I would not change anything…I would still serve.”
He added, “To go to Iraq, to get PTSD, and to use it, to make me a more ironically compassionate person, which opened doors for me to tell people who have been through trauma, difficulties, that God doesn’t waste anything.”
“Sometimes God purposely breaks the chaplain so he can make them a better chaplain,” he said. “In my case, I was wounded, and I use my wounds to be a healer to others. This has made me a better Christian,” he continued.

PAYING IT FORWARD
Today, as he reflects on his journey, Pantlitz is forever grateful for the path that he led.
He reminisced, “I was born a poor lad in a violent village. When I went to school, the teachers called me a fool so I dropped out of high school. Some people called me a good for nothing and said that I’ll never amount to anything. But then, I went to America and joined the military and became a Christian and that saved my life.”
Pantlitz noted too that although in those moments on the battlefield of Iraq, the fear of dying was real, it was a tremendous privilege to protect and defend America. He said, “I risked my life in combat to…I almost got blown up in Iraq but God had mercy on me.”
These days, the US army veteran is paying it forward; he continues to serve in his local church and travels throughout Guyana at his own expense, speaking at schools, youth centres and other places. His ultimate goal is to invest in the youth of this country and give them a similar chance that he was given in life.
He explained, “Because America has given me so much. It helped me to reach the unreachable and made my impossible dream come through, I would never regret serving that nation. I love Guyana because I was born here, so I try to be a good role model and mentor to children.”
“At my own expense, I travelled to 10 regions in Guyana to speak at schools, community centres and churches to encourage children to stay in school. How many sleepless nights I spent in the hinterland sleeping on boats, on dirty mattresses and in dirty hotels to help the poor, powerless and forgotten,” he added.
Pantlitz now focuses on his family and his work in counselling groups. He also plans on building a Youth Centre on the East Bank of Demerara to cater for children in depressed communities.
He said, helping the less fortunate keeps him motivated. “I do a lot of volunteering at schools and churches…I’m retired, so I spend my time with family. All my children are adults and have their own lives. They remain my world. My wife, daughters, Keisha, Abby, Floresha, Jauncenta and my son, Kevin, are everything to me,” the US Vet stated.
He noted too that he will forever be indebted to his Creator for the way his life turned out and as such will continue to use his efforts to spread his word and testimony.
“When you give your life to God and He can do wonders with it, I’m a living witness…according to the teachers, they expected me to be in jail or die young but God made sure of it that I overcame those predictions and made it to live victoriously,” he emphasised. Pantlitz is constantly travelling between Guyana and the US. For those wishing to communicate with to learn more about his journey, email him via [email protected] or call telephone number 675-3062.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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