Adrian Cronauer | |
|---|---|
 Cronauer in 1999 | |
| Born | Adrian Joseph Cronauer (1938-09-08)September 8, 1938 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | July 18, 2018(2018-07-18) (aged 79) Troutville, Virginia, U.S.[1] |
| Resting place | Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery,Dublin, Virginia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Pittsburgh[2] |
| Occupation(s) | Radio personality, lawyer |
| Known for | Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) |
| Spouse | [3] |
| Children | 2 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1963–1967[4] |
| Rank | Sergeant[4][5][6] |
| Unit | Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) |
| Battles / wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | |
Adrian Joseph Cronauer (September 8, 1938 – July 18, 2018) was an American radio personality andUnited States Air Force Sergeant,[4][5][6] whose experiences as an innovativedisc jockey onAmerican Forces Network during theVietnam War inspired the 1987 filmGood Morning, Vietnam starringRobin Williams as Cronauer.[7][8][9]
Cronauer was born inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania. His father was a steelworker, and his mother a teacher.[6] He began his broadcasting career at the age of 12 as a semi-regular guest for aPittsburgh-area children'samateur hour.[10] Cronauer attended the University of Pittsburgh where he led a group that founded the school's first student radio station, nowWPTS-FM.[11][12][13]
In the early 1960s, Cronauer chose to enlist instead of waiting for the draft. After considering flight training (which entailed a longer service commitment), Cronauer chose broadcasting and media operations, ultimately becoming aU.S. Air Force Radio and Television Broadcasting Specialist.[4] His service spanned the years from 1963 to 1967.[4] He did his training in Texas, and eventually rose to the rank ofSergeant (E-4 at the time).[4][5][6] While Cronauer is best known for his service inVietnam, he began by working on training films and then was sent for a year and a half to the island ofCrete inGreece, where he was stationed atIraklion Air Station.[6][14][15]
In 1965, Cronauer volunteered for a transfer to Vietnam because he wanted to travel. Upon arriving there, his first job was as news director for Armed Forces Radio inSaigon, but when the morning host's slot became vacant shortly after his arrival, he took over the show, known asDawn Buster because it started at 6 a.m. He opened it with the greeting "Goooooood morning Vietnam!", which was immortalized in the subsequent movie's title. Cronauer left Saigon in 1966, but subsequent DJs continued to use his signature greeting, includingPat Sajak.[14][16][3] His military awards include theAir Force Good Conduct Medal, theNational Defense Service Medal, theVietnam Service Medal withbronze service star, theAir Force Longevity Service Award, theVietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Award and theVietnam Campaign Medal.[4]
After the Vietnam war, Cronauer worked at various radio stations as a news anchor and in other capacities. He did voice-over work in New York and owned his own advertising agency, during which time he also earned a master's degree inMedia Studies from theNew School for Social Research.[14]
In the late 1970s, while working as the classical music morning host at WVWR inRoanoke, Virginia (now Virginia Tech'sWVTF),[17] Cronauer had an idea for a television sitcom that would be a blend ofM*A*S*H andWKRP in Cincinnati, two popular TV series of the era. In 1979 he tried to sell a treatment of this idea, basing the story on his experiences in Vietnam, but without success. A few years later he pitched a made-for-TV movie on the same theme: this time, a friend's agent in Hollywood got the treatment into the hands ofRobin Williams, who thought the idea was good enough to warrant a feature-length movie starring himself. However, according to Cronauer, little of the film reflects his real life. Among other things, Cronauer was not a subversive person but a "lifelong card-carryingRepublican", and later took an "active role" in bothBob Dole's unsuccessful1996 presidential campaign andGeorge W. Bush's successful2004 presidential reelection campaign.[7] Cronauer did teach English when off-duty in Saigon, but he did not teach swear words or New York street slang. He was never in a Jeep that got hit by a land mine, but he did witness the bombing of a restaurant near the radio station.[6] In a 2014Military Times interview, Cronauer said if he had done some of what the movie said he did, "I'd still be inLeavenworth."[18]
The movie, directed byBarry Levinson, told a heavily fictionalized story based on a screenplay byMitch Markowitz, a screenwriter who had worked onM*A*S*H.[14][15][19][20] Cronauer later told friends that Levinson had insisted that Williams and Cronauer not meet until the film was completed as Levinson did not want Williams to try to imitate Cronauer's actions and vocal delivery style.
The money Cronauer received from the movie enabled him to earn aJuris Doctor degree from theUniversity of Pennsylvania Law School.[14] He then founded the Cronauer Law Center and practiced law, specializing in the areas of information and communications law. In 1992, Cronauer earned awards for a special program onNational Public Radio about the role of theAmerican Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN-military radio and television).
Cronauer was active in veterans' causes, and during George W. Bush's presidency, became an adviser to theDefense Department's POW-MIA office, and a confidential advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. His title was Special Assistant to the Director of theDefense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, and he was responsible for outreach to veterans and their families. He traveled widely and gave frequent media interviews and public appearances. This led to his becoming a popular after-dinner speaker and lecturer. He appeared as a guest on radio and television talk shows such as NBC Radio'sJim Bohanan Show; NBC TV'sToday show; Fox News'sHannity & Colmes, ABC'sBill Maher; and the PBS seriesFreedom Speaks. He also appeared on theOliver North andG. Gordon Liddy radio programs. His commentaries were featured in many newspapers and on NPR radio.[21][3][22] He was also on the board of the National D-Day Memorial, and was a trustee of the Virginia War Memorial.[14]
In October 2014, theNational Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) filed complaints against Cronauer and the Cronauer Law Center with theConsumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and theFederal Trade Commission (FTC). The NCRC alleged that Cronauer had engaged in mortgage scams under the guise of offering assistance to property owners threatened with foreclosure. Cronauer consented todisbarment rather than contest the matter, which means that the facts and circumstances of the admitted misconduct remained confidential.[23] However, the president of the NCRC made this statement: "The rules apply to celebrities as well. We believe Mr. Cronauer and the Cronauer Law Center to be in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Mortgage Assistance Relief Act rules, and other state and federal laws."[24]
Cronauer died on July 18, 2018, at a nursing home inTroutville, Virginia at the age of 79.[1][6]
At the time of his death, Cronauer lived inTroutville, Virginia. He had been married to Jeane Cronauer (née Steppe) until her death in 2016. She had had a son by a previous marriage, Michael Muse.[14]
Cronauer was a member ofMensa.[25]
Sergeant Cronauer received the following military awards.[4]
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