Al Agnew was born in 1940 in Mullins, South Carolina. He entered the Naval Aviation Cadet program on March 3, 1961, and was designated a Naval Aviator in October 1962. Agnew then completed WC-121N Super Constellation replacement pilot training before joining Airborne Early Warning Squadron Four (VW-4), where he served from February 1963 to July 1965. LT Agnew then completed Justice School before joining the S-2E Tracker replacement pilot training squadron in August 1965. He then joined Air Anti-Submarine Squadron Thirty-Eight (VS-38), where he served from February 1966 to December 1967, followed by service as a flight instructor with Training Squadron Seven (VT-7) from December 1967 to December 1969. CDR Agnew then served briefly with VT-23 and VA-45 and attended Photo School before joining Reconnaissance Attack Squadron Three (RVAH-3), the RA-5C Vigilante replacement pilot training squadron, in June 1970. He then served with RVAH-13 from May 1971 until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on December 28, 1972. After being held in captivity for 91 days, he was released during Operation Homecoming on March 29, 1973. After being briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries, CDR Agnew attended the Navy Post-Graduate School at Monterey, California, from July 1973 to April 1975, and then joined RVAH-3 as an RA-5C replacement pilot from April 1975 to April 1976. He next served as Operations Officer for RVAH-9 from April to July 1976, followed by Executive Assistant for CRAW-1 from July 1976 to January 1977. Agnew attended the Attache Course at the Defense Intelligence Agency from January to April 1977, and then served as an Area Officer with that Agency until April 1978. From May 1978 to July 1980, CDR Agnew served as a Defense and Naval Attache to Sri Lanka. His next assignment was as Officer in Charge of the Mechanical Schools with the Naval Air Technical Training Command in Memphis, Tennessee, from July 1980 to June 1983, followed by service as Executive Officer of the Naval Air Maintenance Training Group at Millington, Tennessee, from June 1983 until his retirement from the Navy on May 31, 1986. Al and his wife Rena have two children, Howard and Krista Lee. Al is a Past-President of NAM-POWs, the Association of Former Vietnam Prisoners of War.