Adrian Cronauer

Early life Cronauer was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father was a steelworker, and his mother a teacher. He began his broadcasting career at the age of 12 as a semi-regular guest for a Pittsburgh-area children's amateur hour. Cronauer attended the University of Pittsburgh where he led a group that founded the school's first student radio station, now WPTS-FM.

Military service 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 a U.S. Air Force Radio and Television Broadcasting Specialist.

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 in Saigon. When the morning host's slot became vacant shortly after his arrival, he took over the show, known as Dawn Buster because it started at 6 a.m. He opened it with the greeting "Goooooood morning Vietnam!", which was immortalized in the movie's title. Cronauer left Saigon in 1966, but DJs continued to use his signature greeting, including Pat Sajak. His military awards include the Air Force Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with bronze service star, the Air Force Longevity Service Award, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Award and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. Cronauer had an idea for a television sitcom that would be a blend of M*A*S*H and WKRP 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 of Robin Williams, who thought the idea was good enough to warrant a feature-length movie starring himself.

The movie, directed by Barry Levinson, told a heavily fictionalized story based on a screenplay by Mitch Markowitz, a screenwriter who had worked on M*A*S*H. 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.

Law career and later life The money Cronauer received from the movie enabled him to earn a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

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's Jim Bohanan Show; NBC TV's Today show; Fox News's Hannity & Colmes, ABC's Bill Maher; and the PBS series Freedom Speaks. He appeared on the Oliver North and G. Gordon Liddy radio programs. His commentaries were featured in many newspapers and on NPR radio. He was on the board of the National D-Day Memorial, and was a trustee of the Virginia War Memorial.

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."

Death

Cronauer died on July 18, 2018, at a nursing home in Troutville, Virginia at the age of 79.

Military awards Sergeant Cronauer received the following military awards.

1st RowAir Force Good Conduct MedalNational Defense Service MedalVietnam Service Medalwith bronze service star2nd RowAir Force Longevity Service AwardVietnam Gallantry Cross Unit AwardVietnam Campaign Medal