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The Vietnam Interview: A Date with Chris NoelBy Claudia Gary and David T. Zabecki | Vietnam | 44 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post Did you ever meet Adrian Cronauer? Subscribe Today
What did you think aout your radio show being called America’s answer to Hanoi Hannah and Saigon Sally? How did you get on Bob Hope’s tour?
They sent me to one of the bases to get my shots, and I had to stand in this line, just like all the guys. I had never been anywhere outside of the United States except one time to Mexico. When we landed in Vietnam and I walked down the steps at Tan Son Nhut, it was stifling. They took my suitcase and we got into a van. The windows were open, but there was mesh on the windows, which they said was to keep grenades out. What was it like being on Bob Hope’s 25th Anniversary show in Cu Chi on December 25, 1966? I kept hearing all of these show business people complaining—they complained about everything! They complained about how hot it was—“I can’t go out there if I’m sweating like this,” and “You must do something better with my hair.” I’m sitting there thinking, my gosh, I can’t stand these people! They’re all just prima donnas. They don’t have the foggiest idea of what it’s really like over here. They’re in air conditioning as much as they can, and they’ve got the best of everything, and all they do is complain! How was it to work with “Colonel Maggie,” Martha Raye? When we first got to Camp Goodman, we walked into a mess hall that had a kind of platform and a very long table. Nobody else was in the room—just four of us. The food was brought in to us. I was talking a little bit, and then the captain sitting next to me very meanly looked at me and said: “What are you doing here? We all know what Maggie is doing here, but what is it that you’re doing here?” I looked at him and was almost speechless. I said: “I’m doing the same thing Maggie is. I’m here because I care. I was asked to be here.” Then a lieutenant who was there, Ty Herrington, said, “Miss Noel, would you like to see our camp?” I felt as if he was on a white horse saving me, and I said, “Oh, yes, yes!” He took me around and showed me the camp a bit, and then he opened the door to his room. There was a picture of a woman in a silver frame. I said, “Oh, that must be your wife!” And he said, “My mother wishes she were.” Shortly after that day he became my escort officer. After a couple of more tours we were in love and we got married. As it turned out, the woman in his picture was his wife! He had lied to me. Pages: 1 2 3 4 5Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: Historical Figures, People, Social History, Vietnam War, Women's History
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44 Comments to “The Vietnam Interview: A Date with Chris Noel”
Thanks for the fascinating article. I’d never heard of Ms Noel before. The fact that I know everything about Jane Fonda’s involvement in Vietnam but nothing about Ms Noel says so much about what our main stream media choices to cover. Thanks for this article!
By WestPointer on Jun 14, 2008 at 12:29 am
A wonderful person with a giving and honest character that is not seen much in today’s culture, nor during the Viet Nam area.
By Jepson on Jun 14, 2008 at 7:58 am
Thank you Ms. Noel. You are beautiful inside and out!
By Eric Weider on Jun 14, 2008 at 10:37 am
Chris was a heroine to all of us in ‘67-’68 and she still is. And she’s right on that nothing’s changed. The anti-military types have found that spitting on vets and calling them babykillers doesn’t get traction anymore. So now it’s support the troops by turning them into some sort of victim they can be patronizing to. Same old song; different words.
By Jonathan Hayes on Jun 14, 2008 at 7:14 pm
As a Canadian army officer at the time of Chris
Noel’s stint with AFRTS (Vietnam) I think she is a U.S. national treasure. A tireless worker for vets when many would have “retired” from that “duty” years ago. Chris was “the girl next door” for many battle-weary troops. Worth a brigade herself…….just in morale boosting! Three cheers for Chris! Frank.
By Frank McKellar on Jun 16, 2008 at 3:16 pm
It is amazing to see how can Ms. Noel still fails to grasp the utter policy failure tend heart wrenching waste of lives that was Vietnam. The troops and the public were sold a lie, that it was better to fight the Commies in the jungles of Vietnam rather than on the beaches of California.
The whole premise of the War was to stop communism from spreading across Asia; ignoring the specific issues at play in Vietnam, that had little to do with East v. West Cold War politics. Just like Jane Fonda and other anti-war protesters predicted, the war was an issue to be resolved by the Vietnamese themselves. the North Vietnamese proved that they were not puppets of China or Russia (their 1979 border war with Communist China and Hanoi’s lukewarm relations with Moscow proved that).When the Vietnamese did march into Cambodia in 1978 to fight the murderous regime of Pol Pot, they did so with the almost universal approval of the international community, including the US.
The situation in Iraq painfully mirrors that of Vietnam: the internal, ancient religious and ethnic conflicts between Iraqis have nothing to do with the so-called war on terror. 58,000 dead Americans could not stop the unification of Vietnam; likewise, regardless of how many Americans fight and die in Iraq, the future of Iraq will be decided not by the Pentagon or the neo-cons in Washington, but by Shia mullahs of Najaf and Karbala, Sunni sheiks of Anbar and Kurdish leaders in the Mosul and Kirkuk.
By Reality Check on Jun 17, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Chris Noel is an ANGEL! She will forever occupy a place in my heart for all she’s done for Vietnam vets.
I lost track of her when I rotated back to “the world” in 1970. May GOD BLESS CHRIS NOEL!
Love, Tom Knight
By Tom Knight on Jun 18, 2008 at 1:16 am
This is a comment on a comment, I guess. “Reality Check” said succinctly exactly what I was (and have been for years) thinking. Of course I agree with Miss Noel that holding individual soldiers responsible for Vietnam is (and was) wrong, but I disagree about the current situation. I believe and hope that the American public has gone beyond that, and now recognize that the soldiers only carry out orders, no matter how misguided and stupid.
By Frank Eskridge on Jun 18, 2008 at 8:20 am
To Frank…. it is indeed interesting that whatever the outcome of the War in Vietnam was, we did not see any additional countries in South East Asia become socialist or have ties with USSR/China. So, maybe those 54K who died, did die for a purpose…. a line was drawn in the sand and the Russians/Chinese chose not to cross it.
By Romando Echovarde on Jun 18, 2008 at 10:31 pm
wow, great article. Thank god for people like Chris Noel.
By Steve lee on Jun 20, 2008 at 11:21 am
For those who were sent with orders for westpac ground forces and served their tours – we thank you.
For those who did not and have not served their country – then you have no say here.
For Mr. Reality check to come forward and give his pro left ideas – are just that ideas.
Its very easy for folks such as him to arm chair quarter back with the ” weak kneed – joint smokers type attitudes”.
Just think if we always had the benefit to sit out and pick your fight – in this world.
That’s a beneift we would all like but in all
REALITY we don’t have.
Thank you.
Gene Spanos
Lieutenant Retired RPD
Marine Vietnam Combat Veteran
Member of the Marine Corps League Det # 553
Police-Marines
Park Ridge, IL
USA
By Gene Spanos on Jun 21, 2008 at 3:27 pm
The real truth is Chris Noel, Bob Hope and others
were there for the Officers, white soldiers and
media I served two tours in Viet-Nam. I do not have a good feeling for her.In fact I never saw her.
By J Paul Alston on Jun 21, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I don’t give a crap what your views were-God bless Chris and others like her for giving our boys a taste of home…
By Joe Messore on Jun 22, 2008 at 10:20 pm
It’s Frank McKellar again (see comment 6 above). Romando does have a valid point about “a line in the sand.” We will never know the total “good” done. I recall a Russian Officer saying you (Americans) scared the s–t out of them. They did not know you were so tough…..had such endurance! What did that war prevent that we will never know? But, another “Yay” for Chris Noel! Frank McKellar.
By Frank McKellar on Jun 25, 2008 at 11:15 am
41 years ago to the day I arrived in Korea Aco. 1/72 Armor 2nd. Infantry Division Camp Rose. I extended my tour of duty to serve 17 months.June 25,1967 to Nov.17,1968. Thank you Doesnot begin to express my Thanks God Bless You and again Thankyou Very Much !
By Ruben Garcia on Jun 25, 2008 at 10:35 pm
what most people seem to forget/not realize, then and now, was the US was a part of the SEATO Treaty (SouthEast Asia Treaty Organization), entered into under the Eisenhower Administration, and therefor obligated to come to the aid of South Vietnam when they asked for it, whether we wanted to or not. So to compare the current situation in Iraq with Vietnam is flawed from the start. While I have never served, my father spent two tours in Vietnam, first as an advisor, then as as a rifle company commander in the 9th Infantry Division. Based on his stories when he was assigned to a South Vietnamese unit, they were none too pleased with Americans being there (my father spoke Vietnamese, so they would speak French around him so he wouldn’t know what they were discussing). So the troops that served in Vietnam got it from “both sides”.
By armand on Jun 27, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Having known Chris and also working with her the past few years, I can say she truely believes in what she has done and will do in the future. She pours her heart out for the soldiers of yesterday and the new veterans of today. As a major donor to her Ceasefire House project, the Namknights MC of Palm Beach County and our Rock and Roll Sunday event fund raiser, know what energy and enthusiasm she puts forth in her personal quest for the veterans of today. God bless Chris and all others like her.
By LL on Jun 30, 2008 at 5:33 am
i think that chris noel is really cool i meen that’s jus twaesome that she actually did all that while still at a young age how awesome is that!!!
By secret on Jul 7, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I remember Chris’ show very well – loved it. She would open her show by saying, “Hi Love” and end her show by saying, “bye Love” and of course with my name being Love, I always said she was talking to me.
By CWO Love Army Ret on Jul 22, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Wow! after all these years emotions are still stirred. regardless of the point of view you have now, or that matter, then, we can all agree that that era was real. We are a stronger country and a more enlightened society as a result of the Viet Nam conflict.
I am a soldier so I will not attempt to spar with the academics, or the experts on what were the core reasons we entered into that fray. What I can say with absolute certainty is that while we were in that most foriegn of places, it was a god-send to have Chris Noel, Bob Hope and Wally what’s his name fly into our madness for a little while and add some degree of normalcy to a totally screwed up environment. Actually, J. Paul was somewhat on the target when he said most of those shows never made it to where the “boonie” soldiers were. But!!! there were DoNut Dollies that came out pretty regularly and some of them were as pretty as Chris and stayed longer, so to those of you that actually saw Chris in the field… Good for you. For those of us that didn’t, well be grateful for her courage and dedication to the fighting men that did have that moment of sanity and hopefully, happiness in looking upon a true American Girl Next Door! Thank you Chris and all the Red Cross girls that left their sophomore year in college to visit us when we needed you the most.
By CSM (Ret) Lee Ingram on Jul 22, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Chris (nee Sandra) is my step-niece and I am as proud of her today as I was back when she was growing up in W. Palm Beach.
By R. E. on Aug 7, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I served with the 458th PBR’s in Cat-Lai, RVN, and I remember listening to Miss Noel and seeing her photos’ she is as beautiful now as then and her support of us and our troops now is great. I always felt that Hanoi Jane should have been tried for treason.
By Chris Poteat on Aug 17, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Chris Noel is the “Mother Theresa” of the Vietnam vets, of which I am one. May God bless you, lady. After 34 years in the military and 3 wars in which I was shot at in each and every one, I have come to this conclusion. Only two people have ever volunteered to die for me, Jesus Christ, who died for my sins and the American fighting man who died for my many freedoms. Among those freedoms, shared by all of us, is the freedom to sit comfortably behind that computer screen in the greatest country in the world (I’ve been to 42)and pass judgement on foreign policy, political policy and war management of which none of us know anymore than what our “slanted” and un-objective media wishes to cover. To my warrior brethren who suffer the scars of their experience, you are in my prayers. To those others who have not served, yet care to criticize, remeber this quote from a Marine chaplain:
It is the soldier and not the journlist who gave you the freedom of the press. It is the soldier and not the organizers who gave you the freedom to assemble. And it is the soldier, who salutes our flag and whose coffin is draped with the flag that gave you the right to burn that flag.
By Mike Higgins on Aug 22, 2008 at 9:30 am
I listened to chris noel while in Vietnam 67/68 I wrote her a letter and she sent me a autographed picture in a striped bikini. It is one of the only things I brought home me and I still have . She was such a beautiful person and is one of the only real ggod memories I have of that Hell-hole thank you Chris
By Jim Wiley on Sep 7, 2008 at 12:02 am
I am proud to know Chris, be her friend, and to try and help her raise funds for her shelter VETSVILLE CEASE FIRE HOUSE located on 291 NE 19th Avenue, Boynton Beach, Florida. She continues to work tirelessly to help homeless Vets. Show your support by writing Chris and helping if you can.
Nick SP4 USAR 1963-1969
By Nick Papayani on Sep 12, 2008 at 9:58 am
To Realtycheck and his ilk, you spew that left wing rhectoric without facts. We were asked to go into South Viet Nam because of the insurgency by the North. It was the North that were committing atrocities and killing innocent villagers for not coming over to their side. We never lost a battle in Viet Nam but thanks to the likes of your liberal socialist leaders (Hanoi Jane Fonda and Walter Conkrite and the left wing media) our country gave up on the war and its soldiers. It was the likes of Conkrite, the media and Hanoi Jane that embolden the Communists to fight on. It was the media and Conkrite that kept telling the American public that the troops could not win the war. HOW SHAMEFUL. Just google Gen. Giap and he tells the exact story in his memomoirs. He states that the North was ready to surrender after TET. Your’r right about Iraq being like Viet Nam, again you left wing liberals and the media putting down and talking down our troops which only embolden the ensurgents to fight on. Do you people not learn from history, but then again you only think with emotions and not with common sense. Another fact is that when American solders go back to revisit they are welcomed with opened arms and get more thanks from the South Viet Namese than when they came home 40 some years ago. They thank us for what we tried to do. Even the old NVA solders commend the American toops for their toughness. Pass your BS on some other liberal site. And a big thank you to Chris for her unselfish deeds for Veterans.
By wounded Viet Nam Vet on Oct 10, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Wow, I was thrilled to see Chris Noel is still supporting our vets. I was in a hospital in Viet Nam at Christmas time when this beautiful lady came to visit. It was a field med unit and I can’t remember the name of it, but I remember thinking this is one brave woman to be be here for us since it wasn’t too safe of an area. I’ll never forget her and how happy the guys and I were to see her. God Bless Chris Noel.
By Joseph Didia on Oct 17, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Chris Noel was not heard on AFVN out of Saigon during my tour
in 1969-70. She was known to me though as the stateside
newspapers covered her time in Vietnam before I arrived in-
country. We are all grateful for her service. She is a true legend of
the Vietnan War.
By Jim Dugan on Nov 2, 2008 at 3:44 pm
where the hell can i find a website that i can plug in a specific date and see the event that happened that day in the Vietnam war.
By Danielle on Nov 18, 2008 at 5:59 pm
this is good info
By ouiipyt on Nov 18, 2008 at 6:00 pm
We listened to Chris on AF radio in Vietnam in 1968-1969. I was stationed on the USS Sphinx ARL-24′ part of the Mobile Riverine Force in the Mekong Delta. I wrote A letter to her requesting A photo, and within two weeks, I got an 8×10. I’m not sure if one of my shipmates swiped it or my ex-wife threw it out.
She was A beauty!
By "SURFSIDE" Pete Crellin on Dec 16, 2008 at 6:55 am
Chris Noel,
She has always been there for the Vietnam Veterans. I got to meet her in person at the dedication of the Wall in D.C. There she was still welcoming and supporting our Vietnam Brothers and Sisters.
She even autographed an album cover for me. Met her again at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire, NM.
She has always been an Angel to us, and we all love her very much.
By COL (Ret.) Gilbert N. San Roman on Dec 31, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Chris, you visited An Thoi naval base in Spring of 1968. Arriving on a “Swift” boat, we could see in the distance your dress flying like a flag as you stood on the stern. Red hair and please excuse me but very pretty knees. Five hundred sailors appreciated your efforts to sing ” I want to help my brothers I’m a stranger in this land”. You were so nervous, your voice kept cracking, you kept looking down, you could not continue singing. Then the in-charge said ” Chris will now pose for photos”. All five hundred of us got to hug your waist as a picture was snapped and given to each man. Thank you so much for raising our morale. You were an angel. Forever, Your grateful sailor.
By William D. Bailiff on Jan 15, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Chris Noel was an amazing person who lifted the spirits of every GI in Vietnam. Politics aside, the typical GI was doing the job they were called to do and we are grateful for people like Chris Noel who put her career on hold to give us the support we needed. I don’t see anyone condeming Bob Hope for doing the very same thing. God Bless you, Chris.
By Dave West on Jan 27, 2009 at 1:20 am
I never had the opportunity to meet Chris Noel, but many times I was able to listen to her show over the Armed Forces Network during my time in Southeast Asia (1966-1967). It gave us a little time to forget about our work and remember “the world” !
Thank You Chris
By Chuck Watts on Mar 4, 2009 at 8:27 pm
I loved Chis she was the bright side of us being there. I do have a question. What was the name of the song Chris used to sign off the air.
It was a instrumental, I can hum it but that doesn’t work here. By the way I did 2 tours as a Commo soldier.
Retired 11B4X Email: drlf2407@gmail.com
Thanks Chris for the memories.
By Don LaFrance on Mar 6, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Chris was a pin up girl for me when I was overseas in 69-70. She is one great girl. Thank you for everything and for the memories of a time so long ago.
By Roger on Apr 1, 2009 at 10:26 am
Dear Chris
you are the best we listened to you every day and you are always in our heart thank you for bringing joy and love to to us in the Nam we got your six
Jim Wilson
188 assault Helicopter co Dautieng RVN 67-68
By Jim Wilson on Apr 21, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Chris
Have always wanted to say thanks, just never knew how.
Thanks Chris for who you were and are.
By Earl on May 13, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Many tnx to Ms. Chris Noel. I was deeply moved by what you did during the Vietnam campaign, sacrificing all your life. And you surely deserve of full admiration from all Americans , Vets ,and people all over the world. Sir-khan Ok from Korea.
By Sir Khan Ok on May 15, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Chris Noel is the only entertainer or American civilian I have saw in the boonies.
No others were crazy enough to come out to the hot spots were were in, Well there was one person who was crazy enough and brave enough it was Chris
I served in III Corps with the U.S. Army Big Red One with the 1st/4th Calvary. It was some time late in 1967. We had been out for a month or more and were hot, dirty, disgusted and busting our rears daily chasing Charlie down.
I was coming in from a late afternoon patrol and here sat this gorgeous round eye on the running board of a Deuce and 1/2 Truck. She was wearing white Go Go boots and and nice short skirt.
I immediately said to her Darling what are you doing out here? You are going to get yourself killed.
She laughed and said baby I am here to sing you guys some songs , The perimeter was small, we moved every 3 days or so to prevent Charlie from getting us bracketed in. So were were close
together. We were a hit and run group.
It was deep in the jungle. We had maybe a Company of Infantry tops, one platoon of Calvary Tanks & APC’s ( 10 armored track total) and several batteries of artillery which were 105’s and 8 inch guns
Chris had a hand held megaphone and a Vet playing a guitar and she sang to us and made us laugh for maybe a hour.
I know not a guy there will ever forget her.
I took many pictures of her and before Chris left she gave us all a hug before she jumped back onto the Chopper to visit her next group of young Vets like myself. I was 20 and the old man on our APC.
I met here again in 2002 in New Orleans at a Big Red One Reunion, She was as sweet as ever.
I told her about the photos I had taken of her and she said “I sure wish I could see them” I said well Darling come on down to the CP the 1/4 Cav has set up in the hotel.
In a flash she was there and asked to make copies of the photo’s and of course she signed several for me.
Chris is a fantastic lady. A true American Patroit.
She also works very hard and runs a home for homeless Veterans in Florida,
We are lucky to have such a caring Movie Star that took some big chances to come out in the boonies to make all of us smile and laugh before we got back to the war.
God Bless You Chris.
Gary Chenett
The Big Red One 1st/4th Calvary Bravo Troop The Nam 67/68
By Gary Chenett on Aug 16, 2009 at 1:40 pm
SHE WAS A GREAT WOMEN I BET AND NOW SHE IS A ROLE MODEL TO ME IT IS SO AMAZING TO HER ABOUT HER IT’S LIKE I KNOE HER
By SHACONDA on Aug 17, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Hi Chris:
Just reading the comments from soldiers who fondly remember your service; or at least most of them do. It must feel good to be appreciated. Hope we can meet again soon at a film fair, or someplace.
While I’m not a veteran…
Thanks for your service.
Ivan Tribe
By Ivan Tribe on Sep 21, 2009 at 3:08 pm