It was always Antonio’s desire to serve his country as tribute for the opportunities and prosperity the U.S. provided to his immigrant family. In May of 2011, Antonio commissioned in the U.S. Army on active duty as a Second Lieutenant for aviation. He graduated from the U.S. Army’s flight school at Ft. Rucker, Alabama as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot and deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan a short 6 months later in December of 2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

After returning from Afghanistan, Antonio continued to serve in the U.S. Army where he held positions in units at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia and Fort Drum, in upstate New York. In various positions, Antonio was directly responsible for leading many soldiers and accountable for tens of millions of dollars in aircraft and equipment. While stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, he completed the Maneuver Captains Career Course at the Maneuver Center of Excellence. By the time Antonio separated from the U.S. Army, he had achieved the title of Pilot-in-Command, the rank of Captain, and had been responsible for managing, planning, and resourcing aviation lift operations for the 10th Mountain Division which had a combat aviation brigade consisting of over 2,500 soldiers, a $2.765B fleet of 125 aircraft, and an annual training budget of over $64M. During his Army career, he had received the highest evaluation marks and was rated as the number 1 Captain in his squadron. His awards include the Air Medal, The Army Commendation Medal, 3 Army Achievement Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the NATO Medal, the Parachutist Badge, and the Army Aviator Badge. He amassed over 450 flight hours in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and was inducted into the Order of the Spur; a rich cavalry tradition.