Cold War Prisoner Frederick Matthews - Ellwood City PA

Frederick Matthews, born into a broken home in 1942, and his six siblings were all raised in foster homes in the Ellwood City area. Matthews, a 1960 graduate of Lincoln High, joined the U. S. Army and was subsequently stationed in West Germany. After a three-year stint in the military he was honorably discharged, but remained in Germany with a fellow ex-Army buddy (and Akron OH native) named Moses Herrin. Matthews found work as a waiter in a Berlin restaurant, but along with Herrin he was soon recruited into an extremely dangerous occupation – smuggling political refugees out of Communist East Germany. After several successful smuggling attempts Matthews and Herrin were captured during a daring mission behind Communist lines on September 19, 1965. They were convicted of espionage and beginning in December 1965 they were incarcerated in a prison in Bautzen. In early February 1967 they were released with two other Americans during a swap of Cold War prisoners. Matthews returned home and eventually settled in Ellport, where I believe he still resides today. (1962)