Frank is currently serving as a state Senator in the Arizona legislature compiling many legislative awards – see fact sheet. Elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2008; appointed to State Senate March 2010; and overwhelmingly elected (60% of votes cast) to the State Senate in 2010.
Antenori was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania and joined the Army after graduating high school in 1984. In 1987, Frank volunteered for Special Forces, commonly known as the “Green Berets.” While in Special Forces, Frank was involved in several operations of historical significance some of which notably include Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. While in Special Forces, he found time to obtain his bachelor’s degree and complete training as a Special Forces combat medic. Frank’s Bachelor’s degree is in Health Science with a minor in Biology and an emphasis toward Pre-Med from Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina. He graduated with a 3.94 GPA.
In Iraq: recommended for the Silver Star and received a Bronze Star for Valor for personally destroying two armored vehicles and their crews with anti-tank missiles, another light skinned vehicle with his machine gun and disabled another with shot from his .50 caliber sniper rifle. His book “Roughneck Nine-One: The extraordinary Story of a Special Forces A-Team at War,” recounts this successful violent battle against a vastly superior force at Debecka, Iraq.
Frank has extensive experience in guerrilla warfare, counter insurgency operations and ground combat. He has been involved with numerous border security and counter drug operations both in the US and abroad, eliminating tons of opium, marijuana and methamphetamine destined for streets of American cities.
He owns numerous deployments throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa conducting everything from mine clearing to humanitarian assistance missions. During one particular humanitarian mission to Swazi-land in 2000, he worked in an AIDS and Tuberculosis clinic, where he treated hundreds of seriously ill Swazi and South African civilians.
On the home front, Frank was a volunteer First Responder for an Ambulance and Rescue Squad. He was a Nationally Registered Paramedic that trained and worked alongside New York City Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians in the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, and spent many hours in the emergency rooms of New York’s toughest neighborhoods working alongside emergency room physicians and nursing staff.
Frank moved to Tucson when he retired from the military in June of 2004, where, besides being a part-time citizen legislator in the Senate, he currently works as a program manager in the Aerospace-Defense industry, overseeing the development of hybrid robotic vehicles for the military. He’s been happily married for 17 years to his wife Lesley. They have two sons, Frank III, age 15 and Brodie, age 14.
He currently serves Pima County as a member of the Pima County Public Library Advisory Board, where he previously served in the capacity of President and Vice-President of the board.
Interesting Antenori Facts
Votes
- Elected to the Arizona Senate in 2010 by a 20 point margin with 60% of the votes cast in Legislative District 30.
- 2010 election votes received in Pima County LD30: Giffords 45%, Stoltz 3%, Kelly 45%, and Antenori 60%
Some Legislative Awards Received
- Legislator of the Year 2010
- 2010 Arizona Association of Realtors – Public Policy Champion
- 2010 Tucson Company of Arizona Rangers – Honorary Ranger Membership
- 2010 Arizona Capitol Times – Leader of the year in Public Policy
- 2010 Arizona Technology Council – Tech Ten Legislator
- 2011 Unified Arizona Veterans – Copper Shield Award
- Arizona Manufacturers Council: 2011 Senator of the Year
- National Federation of Independent Businesses: 2011 Guardian of Small Business award.
Frank’s Military Awards: click here
Frank’s Organization and Group Memberships: click here
