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Adrian Cronauer: Air Force Radio Announcer in VietnamVietnam | Single Page | 14 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post
After his tour of duty in the Air Force ended, Cronauer worked as a television news anchorman for a small station in Ohio and later became a program director for a small television station in Virginia. He moved to New York City 10 years later, doing commercials, working part-time for The New York Times' FM radio station and teaching part-time at the New School for Social Research. He also worked in media management consulting and radio station management and operated his own advertising agency. While living in New York City, he also earned a master's degree in media studies. Subscribe Today
Cronauer recalled that by sharing his expertise and knowledge with others in the broadcasting business, he frequently worked himself out of different positions. He would hand over the torch of a job or professional expertise to those with whom he had contact or whom he had trained.
The handsome profit he made on Good Morning, Vietnam enabled Cronauer to consider a career change in 1987, from media and communications broadcasting to media and communications law. He attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School and was able to pay for his tuition and expenses out of the proceeds of the movie and his tour on the lecture circuit after its release.
Cronauer gained an unusual personal perspective on events in Vietnam that many may not appreciate. 'The public was put into a difficult position knowing what the war effort was about in Vietnam,' Cronauer said. 'It was like the illustration about the elephant and four blindfolded men. One felt the elephant's leg and said it was like a tree trunk, another felt its trunk and described the elephant as being like a fire hose, another felt its ear and said an elephant is like a tobacco leaf, and the last blindfolded man felt the tail and said the elephant is like a clothes line. They were all absolutely right, but none of them singly or together gave you an accurate picture of what an elephant was.
'We have a very unfortunate accident of semantics in the Bill of Rights, where it mentions the freedom of the press. For a long time people have used that to imply that perhaps electronic communication is not entitled to full protection under the first amendment as is printed material. That's sheer nonsense. The Bill of Rights doesn't have anything to do with protecting the product of the printing press, but it has to do with protecting the whole process of gathering and disseminating information and news. I've maintained for a long time that if Benjamin Franklin had invented television rather than bifocals, the first amendment would have read freedom of media, because that's what it really means.
'You have to consider the way the news media were structured in those days. At that time it was possible to differentiate between news for the troops and news intended for consumption for the folks back home. A lot of the coverage in Vietnam was censored because it was stuff that could not be aired in a war zone without compromising the mission of the men who were involved. But there was a lot of bureaucratic nonsense, too.'
He also noted that much of the news was sensationalized for consumption on the home front. 'For instance,' he said,'someone was quoted as saying, 'We have to destroy the village in order to save it.' That was one individual idiot making a comment out of context. Many people, though, believed it really was the philosophy of the war.' Cronauer also noted that much of the news coverage was skewed because many people in the military were going to Vietnam to get their tickets punched, make a name for themselves and then move on to bigger and better things, rather than staying there for three or four years to develop a full understanding of the war. 'There were people with no geographical or geopolitical or historical context for all this, and so much of what was reported was isolated incidents and completely out of context,' he said. 'It allowed those who were opposed to the war to marshal public opinion against it. The fact that we were not fighting a war to win made their task that much easier. Pages: 1 2 3Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: 20th - 21st Century, Historical Conflicts, Historical Figures, People, Vietnam War
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14 Comments to “Adrian Cronauer: Air Force Radio Announcer in Vietnam”
I had the pleasusre today to escourt Adrean from Indiana to Illinois line after a speaking last nite. What a pleasure to meet this man. :)
By RED DOG on Sep 20, 2008 at 9:45 pm
A few days ago I saw the movie "Goodmorning Vietnam" again. It had been many years since seeing it the first time. I'm only slightly younger than Adrian. I was re-struck by how the movie captured the poignancy and feeling of that era. The music was a big part of it. Much of the absurdities and contradictions of the time also seemed to be well depicted.
By redog on Nov 25, 2008 at 12:27 pm
i cant believe what a pompous foolish man you are,,,bush is a murderous stupid swine and your suppot of cromagnon concepts of war,that cripple the human race is just foolih
By joel Kaminer on Dec 27, 2008 at 2:56 pm
to Joel Kaminer,
It is becuase men like Adrian and my uncles and father that you have a right to speak your mind. If you would like to change that and live in a sociolistic society, then I suggest you move to Russia or Cuba or Venezuela and try to expose your views and see who comes knocking on your door… Just be thankful for those that served and continue to serve so that you might have the freedom that you have
By Loritsn on Jan 3, 2009 at 1:18 am
I had never even heard of Adrian Cronauer untill my dad told me about the movie “good morning Vietnam” and it turns out that I'm related to Adrian:)
By Nikki Cronauer on Feb 27, 2009 at 10:45 am
To Loritsn
Thank you! From a 67th Evac Hosp vet
By Curtis on Mar 15, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Although Adrian's story skips the 10 years he spent in Roanoke, VA, I was working at the little TV station in 1968 when he was hired and we quickly became friends. Adrian is one of the most talented and interesting people I have ever had the pleasure to know. We worked together for 3 yrs when he had an advertising agency and he used to tell me about this great idea of his for a TV sit-com. A combination of MASH and WKRP – thus the idea of "Good Morning Vietman" was born. Adrian moved to NY in 1979 and pursured the series idea with his old Air Force buddy. Andrian was my mentor and friend – I still consider him my close friend even though we have lost contact over the last 20 years.
By Ellen (Dowdy) Butler on May 16, 2009 at 11:02 am
I will be meeting Adrian on November when he sails with a bunch of Veterans and their supporters on the Carnival Valor for a Veterans week cruise.. I can't wait to meet the man..
By Mike Lowe on May 17, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I hated to hear "Good Morning Vietnam" blasting on the radio all those years ago. But now 40 plus years later I think about all the many hours listening to Armed Forces Radio and Television stations around the World. I truely appreciate those hours of entertainment and those who provided it.
The movie "Good Morning Vietnam" brought back many good an bad memories of my stay in Vietnam with the 1st Engineer Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division (June 1966 – September 1968. I wondered what happen to Sgt Cronauer. Now I know and I thank you and your associates for their support and efforts.
Harry Miller
USA Retired
By Harry Miller on Jun 28, 2009 at 11:01 am
Joel Kaminer, life in Iran awaits you.
Leftist Marxist and Communist are the roots of all evil.
By A free American on Jul 12, 2009 at 7:46 pm
um my dad served in vietnam from 1967 till 1969 whith 173rd airborne he told me before his death from his serives in vietnam that the movie good morning vietnam was very true um he rembers alot that music in the movie he also said that that music got him threw good times and bad times in vietnam gave them guyssomthing to party to i happend to listen to alot of the 60s and eraly 70s music and alot of classic country my parents raised us kids on it iam 27 years old so i grew up listening to alot of the doors ccr the beats rolling stones and so many others um i also served my country in afghanstan and iraq whith the 82nd airborne as a combat medic and i rember hearing armed forced radio it was out of europe
By ED brittain on Aug 6, 2009 at 1:46 pm
I think Ms. Dowdy should have looked at pages 2 and 3 of Adrian's bio. There, it does mention his ten years in Roanoke, Va. I don't know the man, but he must be quite a fellow. I served over in 'Nam from Nov. 69 to Dec '70.
By P. Scheiner on Oct 31, 2009 at 3:04 am
Adrian has returned to the Roanoke, Va. area, having retired to the community of Troutville. I just saw him last night in The Showtimers community theater production of Miracle On 34th Street where he played the role of Kris Kringle. What a great talent.
By Don W on Dec 5, 2009 at 7:25 pm