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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI just lost a friend. Everybody thinks they knew him. They are SO wrong.
Adrian Cronauer just died. He never got over the loss of his wife, and his health went downhill recently. A film was made about his time in Vietnam as a disc jockey, and the film characterization was so unlike the real Adrian, it's unreal.
I will post more about Adrian later. He is a real loss.
OnDoutside
(20,659 posts)mnmoderatedem
(3,845 posts)how was the Robin Williams portrayal inaccurate? Curious.
DFW
(56,688 posts)I'm out with my wife and brother. I'll post in detail about him later on.
B2G
(9,766 posts)I loved the movie. Condolences. 😔
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)My condolences.
Demovictory9
(33,830 posts)GoCubsGo
(33,079 posts)I look forward to hearing about what he was really like.
lunasun
(21,646 posts)hlthe2b
(106,478 posts)Robin Williams persona, wonderful as that might be, that I'm not surprised to hear it wasn't reflective of the real man.
Did you know him from Vietnam? My sympathies.
LuckyCharms
(19,044 posts)onecaliberal
(36,054 posts)herding cats
(19,618 posts)gay texan
(2,875 posts)I'm truly sorry to hear of his passing
mountain grammy
(27,314 posts)ailsagirl
(23,826 posts)May he Rest in Peace
Duppers
(28,248 posts)My sympathies to his family and to you.
I suspected when I saw the movie that Adrian's romance was totally fictitious and created for the story line. His conflicts with military hierarchy could also have been added.
He had to have made a big impression tho.
Prof.Higgins
(194 posts)2004 re-election of a government filled with shirkers. These shirkers had flat out lied us into the long military quagmire in Iraq, thus repeating the "egregious mistake" (Robert McNamara's apologetic words) of the Vietnam War. Of course, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton were also responsible for accepting these lies to authorize the Iraq War, but they were among many of those duped rather than being among the deliberate liars about Saddam's WMD. No wonder Trump brazenly tells so many preposterous lies, knowing full well that Republicans will never act to hold him to account.
Adrian deserves the highest praise for significantly alleviating the misery of troops in Vietnam and a his subsequent life of worthwhile public service. I am not disparaging him in the least; it's just a pity how even well-meaning folks who are genuine patriots like him sometimes can be be used by iniquitous politicians to support decisions that are actually extremely harmful for America.
R B Garr
(17,380 posts)calimary
(84,424 posts)This getting-old stuff is NOT easy, and we all know how it's gonna end.
I'm sorry you lost your friend. It's doubly difficult when it's a peer. Maybe he's Upstairs hanging out with Robin Williams.
Hugs.
FailureToCommunicate
(14,333 posts)gademocrat7
(11,181 posts)kcr
(15,522 posts)I'm so sorry for your loss. The article talked about how he wasn't like the movie character. It mentioned his many accomplishments, too. A great loss.
thucythucy
(8,742 posts)Years back, curious about the accuracy (or not) of the portrayal, I found this on YouTube:
He seemed like a very sweet, self-effacing (and funny) guy.
Best wishes.
DFW
(56,688 posts)He was indeed a joy to know. There were so many other sides to him than just his Vietnam time, but I think this clip gives a good indication of what an intellect he was.
Response to thucythucy (Reply #27)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
oasis
(51,721 posts)Ilsa
(62,251 posts)I remember the movie, in which RW seemed over-the-top, acting more like RW, but a good movie anyway.
My sincere condolences.
Nicest guy you could want to meet, and, along with Wes Clark, one of the few real intellectuals I ever met in the military.
Ilsa
(62,251 posts)Response to DFW (Reply #34)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
nolabear
(43,233 posts)Cha
(305,580 posts)of your friend, DFW
CaliforniaPeggy
(152,227 posts)It's one of the things I hate about getting older: the death of close friends. It tears at the heart.
My deepest condolences to you.
DFW
(56,688 posts)As a few found out/pointed out already, Adrian was NOTHING like the Robin Williams portrayal of him in "Good Morning Vietnam." The reason he dragged out his program introduction was that his equipment was so primitive, he had to start talking while adjusting all the settings manually at the same time. What he stretched out was "Good," so he'd say "Goooooooooooooood MORning Vietnam."
Unlike his movie persona, while it's true he got into fights with the traditionalists at the radio station, he liked to say that if he had done half the things the film said he did, he would have spent the rest of his life behind bars in Leavenworth.
It's also true that Adrian was a Republican, but not a frothing-at-the-mouth contemporary Republican. He was a soft-spoken intellectual. Over our last lunch together near the Pentagon, we must have covered thirty different topics from legal systems around the world to Asian cuisine to the dynasties of ancient Egypt. On a whim, he entered law school at age 50 (!!) in Pennsylvania. His last "posting," if you can call it that, was with a special office whose mission it was to work with the current governments of Vietnam and Cambodia to locate and recover the remains of US soldiers in those countries to try to give closure, even 40 years later, to the families of MIAs who were never accounted for.
He retired to a far corner of Virginia, not too far from Roanoke, but not too near, either. His mailing address was Troutville. Idiot that I was, I never stole the time to accept his standing invitation to visit him there. He had lost his wife fairly recently, and that was a crushing blow.
One funny note I'll edit in--one summer, when my younger daughter was in Law School, she was interning with the Düsseldorf office of a U.S. law firm. Not only did she get to live at home, she was a LOT safer than her summer before, when she worked for the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal in Sierra Leone. One of her classmates stopped by, and asked if I knew anyone in the military, as one of his summer projects involved something related. I said I only knew Adrian Cronauer, but I'd be happy to get him on the phone if the kid wanted. My daughter's classmate thought I was bullshitting him, so I grabbed the phone and called Adrian in Troutville, explained what was going on, and he said sure, put him on, and so I handed him the phone and said "here's Adrian." The kid was completely intimidated and excited at the same time, never expecting to be talking to a living legend a minute after doubting he ever would. Adrian, of course, was never impressed with his status as a legend, only grudgingly accepted it in the first place, and was happy to help out.
To answer a question asked above, no, I did not meet Adrian in Vietnam. I was 13-14 during his time there. He would have been 80 in September, so he was almost 14 years older than I was. We met at the Renaissance Weekend gatherings that take place every New Year's in Charleston, South Carolina. While there, I introduced him to a friend of mine from Paris. Another intellectual type, she was writing a book on the subject of luck, and Adrian consented to be interviewed by her for a chapter.
Here is a picture of Adrian and Sabine (our friend from Paris) close to ten years ago:
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Rhiannon12866
(222,896 posts)And I've been to Troutville, Virginia! My grandmother was in an auto accident there, a guy ran a red light and totaled her car. My grandmother was pretty resourceful, she bought another car and continued on her way north. After that, one of us always went with her. My job was to drive south with her and she took me back to the spot.
Response to DFW (Reply #35)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
DFW
(56,688 posts)I always wondered about that.....
essme
(1,207 posts)From there. It's real. Thank you for sharing about your friend. I have enjoyed your posts tremendously.
DFW
(56,688 posts)Your sentiments are not universally shared, so they are encouraging.
LexVegas
(6,580 posts)niyad
(120,281 posts)DFW
(56,688 posts)It's hard to accept that people you have known for a long time are mortal. Fame doesn't shield anyone from mortality, and of the famous people I know/have known, even those who have lived past 90, and stayed active, have had to face the inevitable. We lost Helen Thomas around 5 years ago, Theo Bikel just recently. Stan Lee is still around, though slowing down, and Ruth Westheimer, who just turned 90, is a real life energizer bunny.
Adrian never even made it to 80, and if it weren't for "Good Morning Vietnam," probably no one outside of his VN audience would ever have known his name. But he was a very approachable "famous person," completely NOT full of himself, and just so multi-faceted, any conversation with him left the other person enriched. Adrian's passing leaves the world just a little poorer, even if he was a Republican.
niyad
(120,281 posts)spooky3
(36,266 posts)NewJeffCT
(56,840 posts)I look forward to hearing more about him.
DFW
(56,688 posts)That should give you sort of an idea about him. In the film "Good Morning Vietnam," Robin Williams was mostly playing himself, not Adrian.
NewJeffCT
(56,840 posts)in some form or other. But, without Williams' portrayal, I bet many in my age group (early 50s) and younger would not have heard of Cronauer.
Thank you for the story above - he will be missed.
DFW
(56,688 posts)But he always made a point to point out to anyone who would listen that what was portrayed in "Good Morning Vietnam" had virtually nothing to do with what really happened. The film was an entertaining story, but that was the extent of it.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,690 posts)Give me Awakenings or Good Will Hunting over Mork and Mindy any day. He was just too manic when he was "one" for me.
FarPoint
(13,656 posts)Oh...so very sorry for your lost of a dear friend...((( Hug)))
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)that not just we but the world are diminished with someone's death. Here's a picture from 2014, taken in his home apparently.
DFW
(56,688 posts)I have NEVER seen Adrian with hair THAT short!
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)visits the barber seldom and definitely gets his money's worth, if counted in inches.
dgibby
(9,474 posts)Here's a link to his obit in the Roanoke Times.
https://www.roanoke.com/obituaries/cronauer-adrian-joseph/article_0e587eb4-e76b-5907-8252-c5fb2a331f31.html
I'm so sorry about the loss of your friend, and am looking forward to your posts.
Raster
(20,999 posts)...I gotta say, you've known some very interesting people! That indicates a good life being lived.
DFW
(56,688 posts)A few paths have crossed with mine over the years, it's true. Lost a few interesting friends along the way, too. And then you always say to yourself, DAMN, how the hell did I never end finding the time to go see him/her one last time?
Docreed2003
(17,822 posts)Thank you for sharing your memories of him above, a touching tribute.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Cronauer several years ago. His dedication to veterans and veterans organizations, particularly those involving Vietnam Vets, cannot be understated.
DFW
(56,688 posts)It was a dedication he took very seriously, and we had to cut our last lunch in Arlington short so he could get back to work with his MIA job. He retired soon after, and I will always regret never having found the time to accept his invitations to visit him down in Troutville. It always seemed to be such a far detour. Now that it's too late, it seems like such a trivial distance.
hexola
(4,835 posts)You have a unique viewpoint.
To see just his name - I have no idea who he is...nothing...
I'm 51 - lived through the era this movie was out.
If I saw it, I don't remember anything about it except Robin Williams.
But the movie did create a record of his importance - that's the important part. The nuances of who he was - not so important.
Whether or not the portrayal rang true would be lost on the millions that would see the movie - since they didn't know him.
DFW
(56,688 posts)My viewpoint is hardly unique. Adrian gave talks at hundreds of events, both military and non-, and the thousands who heard him and/or met him realized it instantly.
Compare the video of Adrian in post 27 with any clip of Robin Williams in the film. Night and day, and Adrian tried to make that point with anyone who would listen, and plenty of people listened.
The movie created a record of practically nothing. It took the basic story of Adrian's time in Vietnam, and built a complete fantasy around it, which was further enhanced--and distanced from reality--by Williams' performance.
The nuances of who Adrian was, as you put it, were a vital part of his life. He did SO many different things after Nam, and his last posting, actively trying to bring closure to MIA families, even 40 years later, was one that accurately reflected his character, and was one that was at least as appreciated by the people affected as his radio voice was in the sixties. At least one poster on here was aware of that.
I'll agree that "whether or not the portrayal rang true would be lost on the millions that would see the movie," but the movie was not intended to be biographical or some kind of enhanced documentary. Adrian couldn't help that the makers of the film made no effort to explain that it was far from a true depiction. I can understand their point of view. That wouldn't exactly have helped their box office take. But it did give millions the impression that they knew what Adrian was like, where it did no such thing, and that was the point I was trying to make. I think most responders to my post got the point. If I am wrong, I'll be glad to let people post here to say so.