If you remember anything about the movie Good Morning Vietnam then you really need to look into the life and times of Adrian Cronauer, who was the inspiration behind the movie. While Robin Williams did a great job of inspiring the troops, sometimes at his own risk, Cronauer was the man that inspired someone enough to give the movie a chance. Born in Pittsburgh, Cronauer had a love affair with broadcasting that started at the age of 12 and saw him as a guest for the children’s amateur hour in Pittsburgh. Eventually he would attend the University of Pittsburgh where he helped found the university’s radio station, WPTS. So you can easily say that he was from a young age one of the most driven radio personalities throughout history.
He didn’t want to wait to be drafted.
Cronauer opted to enlist rather than waiting on the draft, which was kind of odd since a lot of young men were trying to get out of service even while a lot were signing up and going in when their name was called. He deliberated when it came to making the decision on whether or not to go into flight training as it would have required a longer commitment, but eventually chose broadcasting and media operations. This was after all his specialty and something he no doubt felt very comfortable with. He eventually became an Air Force Radio and Television Broadcasting Specialist and served in this position for four years. At one point he even attained the rank of sergeant. Cronauer is known quite well for his service and was at one point stationed in Iraklion Air Station in Crete, Greece.
It was the in the 70s that Cronauer came up with an idea for TV that would incorporate elements of M*A*S*H and WKRP in Cincinnati. After that it took some time but he would eventually show interest in the proposal that ended up becoming Good Morning, Vietnam. It’s obvious at this point that the movie was based on his time in Saigon as a DJ during the Vietnam War. He served in this capacity from 1965 to 1966 and his program was known as the Dawn Buster. Unfortunately a lot of the film pulled away from his real-life experience except for the fact that he was radio host and that he did witness a bombing incident that happened when he was nearby.
His personal life had it’s ups and downs.
Aside from his time spent at the University of Pittsburgh, where he helped found their first student radio station, Cronauer also earned a master’s degree in Media Studies from the New School for Social Research in New York City. He also earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania. The law practice he took up was heavily concentrated in information and communications law, but he had to consent to be disbarred by the District of Columbia in 2014 for misleading consumers by using misrepresentation and deceptive and fraudulent loan modication and foreclosure prevention practices. Eventually he would go on to work as a special assistant to the director of the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office. He was also a member of Mensa and a Republican and took a very active role in Bob Dole’s ill-fated bid for presidency and George W. Bush’s reelection campaign.
You can easily say that this man had a huge influence on the world around him and managed to leave a mark that no one should find easy to forget since he not only inspired a movie but was one of the smartest people on the planet. He did manage to live his life on his own terms and in some cases those terms seemed to have gotten him in a bit of trouble with others, but as a personality and as a person he was one of those that you can’t help but think paved their own path simply because they had seen their other options and didn’t care for them as much. Cronauer was one of the innovators of our country that didn’t sit by and let things happen obviously, but instead managed to take off on his own path and found a way to do things that people didn’t always agree with but eventually found it necessary to believe in.
That the movie based in part on his life didn’t follow a strict guideline and show everything that had happened to him is not really surprising. After all movies are known to warp reality just enough to stay entertaining and not go over every last aspect of a person’s life so as to keep it entertaining and lively. But Cronauer does seem to have lived a rather remarkable life and that alone is something to be proud of. He passed on July 18th in his home in West Virginia.
Rest in peace sir.
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