Paul Bottoms AFVN 1969

 It's the summer of 1969 and Paul A. Bottoms is rocking Saigon on the Orient Express.

Former KSCS/Dallas and KWCY/Phoenix morning news anchor Paul Bottoms passed away March 7, 2019 at age 70. Bottoms was a member of The Dorsey Gang in Dallas from 1987 to 1996 before working with Tim & Willy in Phoenix from 1997-1998. Other stops include KONO/San Antonio, WJJD/Chicago, WCXR/Washington and WLVK/Charlotte. Bottoms retired in 2011 after a decade as News-Talk WRVA/Richmond Dir./News. He was a Vietnam veteran and did news for Pat Sajak on Armed Forces Radio

AFVN - Paul Bottoms 1969

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Air Rescue Vietnam 1968

 

I was going through crates of ETs looking for something else, and found this.  Glad I did.  Air Force SGT Herb Manchester did this from AFVN.  

Sometimes AFRTS-LA would have contests.  If something was really well done, it was distributed worldwide.

Air Rescue Vietnam 1968

AFVN Jim Huntley 1970

 

Years ago I was talking with Bob Casey.  Bob had quite the story.  One of the things he did at AFVN was start the Million Dollar Music oldies show.  After he left the show continued.  Here's Jumpin' Jim Huntley

AFVN Million Dollar Music

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AFVN Gary Gears 1968

 Here's the 1968 year end show from AFVN.  Gary Gears, who went on to great things at the best Chicago stations voices this.

1968 A Year in the Life of Man

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Christmas in Vietnam 1971 - Bruce Blackburn

 

I couldn't find a biography for Bruce, he may have went to KLAW after his hitch.  But it's early morning Christmas 1971, recorded in DaNang and time for the Orient Express.

AFVN - Bruce Blackburn Christmas 1971


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AFVN Day after Thanksgiving 1970

  

On Thanksgiving it's hard to not think about home.  When Billy Williams was at AFVN a few years later, he found a station composite of the day after Thanksgiving with AFVN.  Nicely done.  Take a listen.

AFVN - November 27, 1970

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AFVN Orient Express - Paul Bottoms 1969

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Here's a mostly complete AFVN Orient Express.  1969 with Paul Bottoms.

AFVN Paul Bottoms 1969

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Paul Bottoms AFVN

 

 About 2000-2001 a Dallas station was running a weekend feature show and ran a AFVN aircheck.

Paul Bottoms heard it and emailed.  It was his show.  He called in the next week and talked about AFVN.

Paul sent in an aircheck of that broadcast.

 

KRLD Dallas - Paul Bottoms talks about AFVN

 

AFVN Jim Lull 1966

 

It wasn't quite AFVN in 1966, the Armed Forces Radio Service, Vietnam was rocking out with Jim Lull.  This is part two of some great tape Dennis sent along.  Many many thanks.

AFRS Vietnam - Jim Lull 1966

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Don Dornberg AFVN Pleiku 1968

AFVN - Don Dornberg 1968

Don Dornberg was born 21 February 1944, the son of Mr. and Mrs. David C. Dornberg of suburban Minneapolis/St. Paul.  A 1962 graduate of Mahtomedi High School, he enlisted in the Army and was sent as a SP5 to Vietnam in 1967-68.  At AFVN's Detachment 3 at Pleiku, Don filled a radio deejay slot with occasional fill-in jobs on the TV news desk.

Back in civilian life, Don worked in Minnesota for a time before leaving for the warmer climes of the South. 1978, Don transferred to Atlanta's WGST, an all-news station which was soon to broadcast on 50,000 daytime watts.  As Assistant News Director, Don stayed with the station 19 years until a format change in 1997 prompted him to move to WSB.  During his two-decade Atlanta radio career, Don's team won two Excellence in Journalism awards -- one for Deadline Reporting and one for Sports Reporting.

At about the turn of the century, Don signed on as a correspondent with Metro Source News, a private news service company which provides text and audio nationwide to some 800 affiliates.  As of this writing in 2012, Don is currently general manager of the organization and lives happily in an Atlanta suburb.

Biography from www.macoi.net

AFVN Det 5, Hue overrub 2/2/68

 

 From Robert Moorecook

Today is the anniversary of Det 5 Hue was overrun.
I encourage you to take a moment to remember this brave men who served there.

American Forces Vietnam Network - AFVN
Prisoners of War
Six men assigned to AFVN were taken prisoner during the Vietnam war, five spending about five years in captivity before being released. The sixth, Steven Stroub, was executed shortly after capture. The AFVN'ers were captured when the detachment at Hue was overrun -- following a fierce fire fight during the Tet holiday -- on Feb 5, 1968.

Two other men also died that day at AFVN. SGT Thomas Franklin Young, USMC was Killed in Action in that fight. Also killed that day was Courtney Niles, a civilian with NBC International, who died defending the station. One AFVN'er escaped.

Details follow --

John Thomas Anderson - POW

John Bagwell - Escaped

James V. Di Bernardo - POW

John A. Deering - POW

Harry Lawrence Ettmueller - POW

Donat J. Gouin - POW

Courtney Niles, Civilian Contractor - Killed in Action

Steven J. Stroub - Captured and Executed

Thomas Franklin Young - Killed in Action

More information at Robert's website

Paul Bottoms AFVN 1969

 

 

Paul was a helper here, stories and memories.  Great broadcaster.

 

From 1969, Here's Paul and the Orient Express.

 

AFVN - Paul Bottoms 1969

 

AFVN Manny Harper 1972

 

Manny was born 5 February 1931, and he joined the Army out of high school just in time for Korea. "I was one of the old timers," he said, "who served in Korea as a member of a special warfare team from 1950 to 1952. I was one of the airborne troopers who was wounded twice, but made it through it all and came out in one piece." Manny may have been technically correct, but it must have taken a major effort to ignore the steel plate he carried in his head for the rest of his life.

 

He went on to serve two tours in Vietnam. The first was with JUSPAO, as, he explained, "chief of an information liaison team, then headquartered in the American Embassy, Saigon. My team traveled throughout the country by air, land, river, and any other means available. There were many close calls."

 

His second tour in Vietnam was a bit quieter, but with a new set of responsibilities appropriate for a senior noncom. By this time the war was winding down and Manny was a Master Sergeant. He spent 1972-73 as News Director and NCOIC of AFVN. Because the American music scene had drastically changed over the last several years, one of his functions was to carefully monitor the playlist. Manny took this job seriously and worked to make sure AFVN's programming reflected American values. "When the music came in," said Manny, "we'd look at it, and if the message was 'war stinks,' well we already knew that. So we weren't going to play it on the radio. You had to keep it positive," he continued. "People were dying over there."

 

After Vietnam, and a promotion to the highest rank an NCO may achieve, Manny assumed the prestigious post of Sergeant Major of the Defense Information School, where he bore major responsibility for the training of public affairs officers and enlisted personnel of all branches of service.

 

The Sergeant Major retired to Indianapolis after 27 years of service in the U.S. Army. He died 16 May 2007 at the age of 76, survived by his wife of 50 years, Evelyn, 2 sons, four grandsons, a great-grandson, a brother and two sisters.

 

AFVN Manny Harper 1972

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AFVN Gerry Elliott 1973,

 

Gerry Elliott, Alexis Wright, SGM Young at SCN c 1982

Gerry Elliott almost got me to stay in the Army.  In the early 1980s SCN in Panama was controlled by the 193rd Infantry Brigade.  No big problem by itself but the command had made it clear that we weren't going to be promoted.  Okay, I won't do the boards.  I was a E-4 with well over 3 years in grade.  That's life.  In 1983 Gerry and SGM Bob Young conspired to get me to go to the boards after the Army Broadcasting Service took over.  Young and Elliott were on that board, it wasn't too brutal and I did well.  Wherever you are Gerry, thanks.

Let's see what was going on in Saigon in 1973.  Here's Gerry with sports.

AFVN Gerry Elliott Sports

AFVN Quang Tri 1970

 Here's some silent film of AFVN Quang Tri

Seems to take forever to buffer

Here's a direct download link

 

Doug Jennings had some more information: "That is SFC Jim Psak editing the film, pulling the slides and later in the TV Studio.  The TV Van was brought from Hue to Quang Tri. From the biography of Vic Sage on the MACOI site, it says, "When he arrived in Saigon as a SP5, he was met by the network OIC, LTC Ray Nash, who explained that he was to be a part of the rebuilding of Detachment 5, which had been relocated following its destruction by Communist troops during 1968's Tet Offensive from Hue to Quang Tri. Victor left immediately, and once the TV van was hauled to its new location he was part of the crew that patched and refitted the equipment. Although damaged, the van was found to be serviceable. There were three bullet holes in the electronics bay and another in the studio section, where an announcer would sit."

 

Rick Fredericksen  "I wonder if the bullet holes were caused by the attackers, or, maybe the AFVN engineers damaged it so a workable TV station would not fall into enemy hands???"

AFVN Tet Offensive - January 30, 1968

 The Tet Offensive was launched on January 30, 1968 by the North Vietnamese forces against the forces of South Vietnam, the United States and their allies. The purpose of the offensive was to utilize the element of surprise and strike military and civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam, during a period when no attacks were supposed to take place.

Six men assigned to AFVN were taken prisoner during the Vietnam war, five  spending about five years in captivity before being released. The sixth, Steven Stroub,  was executed shortly after capture. Three AFVN’ers were killed, others taken as prisoners, to spend the rest of the Vietnam war as captives.  Today, only one of those men, SFC Harry Ettmuller (USA, Ret) remains alive to recall those days.  Today is also a day to honor all those men and the memory of their sacrifice. -- following a fierce fire fight during the Tet holiday -- on Feb 5, 1968. 

Two other men also died that day at AFVN. SGT Thomas Franklin Young, USMC was Killed in Action in that fight. Also killed that day was Courtney Niles, a civilian with NBC International, who died defending the station. One AFVN'er escaped.

Duke Miller made the following memo available.  It had been posted on the bulletin board at AFVN.

AFVN Tet Offensive memo 1968

SFC Harry Ettmueller (Ret.) describes the fighting at AFVN Detachment 5 [Hue] Tet 1968

Paul A. Bottoms AFVN 1969

 

Paul enlisted in 1967, leaving his job at KEWI radio. A year later he was in Vietnam, where he stayed for two tours from July 1968 to June 1970. By volunteering for a second consecutive tour, Paul was able to cut five months off his service obligation.

He spent the first month at Chu Lai working in the information office, before being selected to visit the Saigon station in preparation for bringing television to AFVN's Detachment 7. Although on TDY, he did not leave Saigon again. He was assigned a six-hour night shift, including hosting the "Orient Express" show, which ran from 0100 to 0400 hours. Later, he did the "Dawnbuster" show, but with a pre-recorded version of the elongated "Good Morning, Vietnam" sign-on. For a time he was designated "Chief Announcer." He remained on TDY status for the entire two years, which meant that he had to return to Chu Lai for outprocessing when he rotated back home in June 1970.  (Biography from macoi.net, be sure to visit).

We lost Paul in March 2019

Paul A. Bottoms 1969

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AFVN - The GIs Companion

 

Mike Pitts and "Peaches"

AFVN The GIs Companion part 1

AFVN - The GIs Companion part 2

AFVN - The GIs Companion part 3

AFVN The GIs Companion part 4

AFVN The GIs Companion part 5

For the 3.4 million Americans who served in Vietnam and the surrounding theater during the war, AFVN (American Forces Vietnam Network) was the soundtrack of their lives while in Southeast Asia. AFVN disc jockeys, newsmen, sportscasters and special program hosts brought the sound of home to Vietnam. American servicemen, servicewomen, civilians and even South Vietnamese citizens regularly listened to AFVN for music, news, entertainment and other important information. AFVN was heard everywhere: on bases, aboard ships, in cockpits, and in the fields of battle. AFVN was with our troops on demand 24 hours a day throughout Vietnam and several other countries in the region. Wherever Americans were, AFVN accompanied them.

Hundreds of military personnel and civilians diligently served with AFVN on the air and behind the scenes to make it such an important and positive element of the Vietnam experience. It is the radio network where Adrian Cronauer signed on with "Gooooooood Morning, Vietnam" (which was the basis for the film "Good Morning, Vietnam" starring Robin Williams). Standout, Pat Sajak (of "Wheel of Fortune" fame) also served at AFVN-Saigon in 1968 and 1969. In April 1975, AFVN in Saigon famously played Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" as a signal for the remaining Americans that the final evacuation of Saigon had begun. The importance of the AFVN radio stations cannot be overstated. The purpose of this tribute broadcast is to honor our Vietnam veterans and the role AFVN played in providing Americans a sense of home back in the States.

Marine Corporal Harry Simons (later Sergeant Harry Simons), using the on-air call sign "Your Brother", was stationed at both AFVN-Saigon and AFVN-Danang from 1967 - 1969. Mr. Simons, a life-long broadcaster, recently provided WEBY with many hours of original studio master tape recordings of his "Boss Radio" style rock and roll music programs. These programs that aired nearly 50 years ago have been provided for the purpose of sharing these historical broadcasts with his fellow veterans.

WEBY is compiling these time-capsule recordings into a special week-long commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and to honor our Vietnam veterans. It will air during the 2015 Veterans Day season. Authentic AFVN program recordings of Pat Sajak, Scott Manning, Joe Rowland, Allan Moore, and other radio personalities will also be featured.

Chris Noel, famed Hollywood actress, has joined our tribute broadcast allowing us to include her #1 rated Los Angeles-produced radio program through AFRTS that aired on AFVN. Chris often traveled to Vietnam under the USO umbrella to entertain the troops in areas considered too dangerous for the Bob Hope Show. A published author, Chris Noel speaks to her Vietnam experience in her best seller “Vietnam and Me”. In 1993, Chris Noel founded Vetsville Cease Fire House, a non-profit charity based in Boynton Beach, Florida. Its mission is dedicated to providing food, shelter and care for indigent military veterans. That mission continues today. 

Exclusive interviews with “Donut Dollies” serving with the Red Cross in Vietnam bring to this broadcast a unique and mostly untold story of these brave young women who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the purpose of lifting the morale of American combat soldiers. These frontline civilians, The Donut

Dollies, also charmed the airwaves of the American Forces Vietnam Network with their own radio program which dedicated songs to wounded GIs they had visited in hospitals around the country.

Chickenman (Dick Orkin) has been inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Dick is the creator of the extraordinarily popular syndicated radio program “Chickenman.” He has contributed an interview and original episodes that will play a prominent role in the total AFVN broadcast experience. Chickenman was provided to AFVN by Mr. Orkin and aired from the AFVN Network flagship station in Saigon. It was heard throughout Vietnam. Chickenman is credited for maintaining sanity for many GIs.

WEBY will take Vietnam veterans and all listeners back in time as we broadcast the original AFVN programs. Combat correspondents’ interviews with ser vicemen are included. Interviews with veterans of the Vietnam War that have interesting stories about their service and AFVN Radio are included as well. Adding background and color to the broadcast, many of the program hosts (DJs) who proudly served in those very difficult circumstances have been interviewed to share their memories and experiences. Interviews with Mr. Simons will be interspersed throughout the broadcast as he shares the inside story of AFVN.

Americans in Vietnam were kept informed of the news at the top of every hour by dedicated military journalists who compiled newscasts from major American networks, wire services, and military sources. Of particular nostalgic interest as this documentary goes back in time are the AFVN newscasts which report in present tense such topics as former Vice-President Richard Nixon’s campaign for the presidency against Hubert Humphrey, airline hijackings to Cuba (on now defunct Eastern Airlines and National Airlines), the upcoming Apollo missions to the Moon, negotiations between the United Kingdom and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) concerning independence from colonial rule, and many more interesting stories.

The AFVN sports reports give football results for the Los Angeles Rams (now the St. Louis Rams), the St. Louis Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals), and the Baltimore Colts (now the Indianapolis Colts) . Major League Baseball coverage refers to the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers) and Mickey Mantle's announcement that he would retire from the New York Yankees. The broadcast features coverage of Arnold Palmer and Gary Player at the two-man team match play at the 1968 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship at Wentworth near London (now the Volvo World Match Play Championship). Additional sports reports cover the upcoming 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

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AFVN John Allgood

 

 

Biography from macoi.net:

 

John Allgood was born 27 August 1947 in Monroe, Louisiana. He was an only child and his father died when John was young. He lived with his mother who suffered from diabetes, a disease which eventually took her life. Upon his mother's death, he enlisted for a tour in the Navy and then briefly returned home where he worked for a time as a radio deejay in Ruston and Bastrop, Louisiana. He did not finish high school.

 

When he left Louisiana for the final time, this time to join the Army, he largely broke off contact with family members. At some point prior to his assignment to Vietnam, John married briefly and fathered a daughter. Trained as a medic, he was sent to Vietnam in 1972, where his radio experience earned him an audition with AFVN. He was popular with his colleagues, and was soon hosting the famed morning show, "Dawn Buster," where he proved to be a very talented broadcaster. At his next duty station, Fort Lewis, Washington John married a second time, but this marriage, like the first, eventually failed.

 

Back in civilian life, John moved to Southern California and worked for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. There is no clue as to why he never ventured into radio in the lucrative California market. Although he had no formal training in broadcasting, John's natural talent would easily have allowed him to develop into a first rate deejay.

 

John Dempsey Allgood died in Los Angeles 15 June 2006 at the age of 58.

 

From 1972, from Saigon, here's the Dawnbuster:

 

AFVN 1972 John Allgood

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AFVN News, 1973 with Robert Morecook and Gerry Elliott

AFVN News!  I worked with Gerry in Panama.  I had heard he ended up at Fort Lewis.  Any idea after that?