Posts
Chris Noel... still making memories. She's still giving her all with her veterans shelter. You should help out Click here
Friday, February 9, 2024
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Joe Ferguson 1968
In 1983 AFRTS tried an experiment with local jocks from all over the country doing shows. Joe Ferguson was doing great things in Portland OR and gave it a go... Joe shared these shows with us. Thank you my friend.
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
AFKN Clem Shamus "Ballad of the Plain Steel Pot" 1967
Clem Shamus from the 1966 AFKN yearbook
When I was at AFKN in the 2d Division in 1977, someone came up with a 45rpm copy of Ballad of the Plain Steel Pot by Clem Shamus. It was popular I was curious and Clem is fan of the blog, I asked him about it:
Hi Thom, I wrote Ballad of the Plain Steel Pot while at AFKN in 1966. I took a leave and flew to San Antonio, TX to record it for Brazos Records. "Green Beret" was hot (became #1 for the year), but Brazos got tied up with Xmas music for kids and didn't get it out until the spring of 67. I was of course back in Korea (NCOIC of radio in Seoul) and had no control of any kind so I don't know what, if any promotion, distribution or anything about it. They sent me 500 copies and they were sold and the money donated to an orphanage. It was impossible to get around to promote it over there and I of course was busy with the day job.
Update: Clem's wife shared the following with the AFVN group:
"Clem passed away yesterday 5/27/12. He was totally at peace with the very difficult decision he made. It was peaceful and surrounded by the ones that loved him most. Myself, 3 of 5 children and his brother
and sister-in-law."
Monday, February 5, 2024
AFVN Det 5, Hue overrub 2/2/68
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
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
Thursday, February 1, 2024
Monday, January 29, 2024
Joe Allison 1968
Joe Allison was star of Country music. Writer of Jim Reeves blockbuster song "He'll Have to Go", signed Willie Nelson to his first recording contract. Longtime DJ and record company executive. Joe brought a neighborly style to his radio shows. Something that Country Music radio hadn't seen before.
Here's a 1968 visit with Joe and the "Country Corner"
Wolfman Jack 1985
Here's some great audio from AFN Soesterberg. We sure had some great places to go. Here's the Wolf!
Thursday, January 25, 2024
Roger Carroll 1969
Young Roger Carroll
Roger was an important part of AFRTS for well over three decades, it was more than playing records. Here's some 1969 gold..
Friday, January 19, 2024
Johnny Dollar 1965
By the 1980s there were a lot of troops that hadn't heard radio dramas or comedies the first time. Since there were several places that AFRTS didn't have television we aired shows from a pretty amazing library. Frank Bresee's Golden Age Of Radio was recorded until 1996.
Yours Truly Johnny Dollar was a fun show:
This is a 1965 rebroadcast: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. September 22, 1957 "The Ideal Vacation Matter". An escaped convict sends Johnny on a mission to protect someone doesn't know that his life's in danger. He's on vacation...an ideal vacation!
Roland Bynum 1979
The weekend must be here, it's a Friday in 1979 and Roland Bynum leads us into the Creator's Workshop.
Thursday, January 18, 2024
Johnny Magnus 1965
Friday, January 12, 2024
Chris Noel 1969
Time for another Date With Chris. The show was on for half a dozen years and touched a lot of hearts. Chris still helps with her veterans shelter. You should take a look and help out. There for the grace of... Chris Noel's Ceasefire House
But now it's 1969 and time for Chris Noel...
Joe Ferguson 1983
Joe Ferguson is back with another hour of the "Joe Show". Joe was doing his show in Portland (OR) and did a series of programs for AFRTS.
Thursday, January 11, 2024
AFVN Bruce Wahl 1970
AFVN Detachment 3
Bruce volunteered for an electronics MOS and was trained as a missile guidance system repairman, but shortly thereafter he was selected for OCS, and received his commission at Fort Benning in April 1969. His first assignment was as Executive Officer in a Basic Training Company at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and this was followed 8 months later by an assignment to Vietnam. For the next four months he served as Battalion Training Advisor at the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Infantry Officer Candidate School in Thu Duc. This ended in April 1970 when he was promoted to First Lieutenant and reassigned to AFVN as Commander of Detachment 3 in Pleiku.
This was right up Bruce's alley. It was like Br'er Rabbit in the briar patch. Since childhood, a career in radio was all he ever wanted. Although only 21 years old, he had an FCC license by virtue of several years' experience in commercial and college radio. His first assignment at Pleiku, however, was a tough one. The station used worn and outdated equipment, and his job was to improve the maintenance and update the facilities.
Through intricate negotiations, including official requisitioning and unofficial scrounging, Bruce built a TV studio with two state-of-the-art cameras, also he remodeled the radio studio and built a second fully-equipped radio studio, replaced the TV transmitter, built a shed over the equipment van, improved the barracks, and repainted the building with a colorful floral design, and . . . he waxed the floors.
Returning to the civilian side of life in 1971, Bruce knew he wanted to stay in radio, so he hunted a job in the Washington, DC area where he had grown up. There was a new radio network, of sorts, still in the developmental stage, and he thought it had potential. He applied for a job, and soon became one of the very first employees of National Public Radio. He worked in engineering, and was a part of the first production of "All Things Considered" on 3 May 1971.
In 2008 Bruce was elected mayor of Chesapeake Beach.
While Bruce continues his NPR job, wife Becky manages a local housing complex. The Wahl's have two daughters and two sons, and the Mayor is proud of his four grandchildren.
Biographical information from our friends at www,macoi.net
AFVN Bruce Wahl 1970
It appears to have been recorded from midnight - 1am on Sunday 16th August, 1970. Bruce gives the time, and the date can be established from the Whitehall, Columbus OH bombing story in the news.
It appears to have been recorded from midnight - 1am on Sunday 16th August, 1970. Bruce gives the time, and the date can be established from the Whitehall, Columbus OH bombing story in the news.
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Charlie Tuna 1974
Our Breakfast Serial continues with this visit with Radio Hall of Famer Charlie Tuna. A lot of people started their duty day with Charlie. He started with us in 1972 and was there until the end of originated network programming in 1996.
Joe Allison 1968
Joe Allison has another hour of your favorites on the Country Corner. Joe was a DJ, songwriter, producer, executive and all out fan of country music, spreading it worldwide.
Thursday, January 4, 2024
Monday, January 1, 2024
Thursday, December 28, 2023
Roland Bynum 1984
Here's the Roland Bynum show, from 1984 recorded in Iceland.
Nowadays Roland works at Stevie Wonder's station in Los Angeles, KGLH
Roland Bynum - 1984
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Jim Pewter 1968
Jim Pewter rocks up a storm. I miss this music. I miss hearing it being played by someone that breathed it. Thanks Jim! Jim also made a bunch of neat records
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Chris Noel - Christmas 1967
Because of the way the transcription disks were sent out, there was no way to tell when they were actually broadcast... Except for Christmas week. That week we would get disks with actual airdates. They'd send them almost a month early to make that happen.
Chris Noel rings in Christmas 1967, take a listen
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Jubilee - Christmas 1948
It's Christmas 1948. Bud Widdom with some amazing talent, it's Jubilee!!!
Jubilee. Program #302. 12/0/1948. A Christmas show with all the continuity in rhyme. Well done! The first tune is, "The Peanut Vendor." Kay Starr sings, "Ain't Misbehavin'." This sounds like an assembled program. Bud Widdom (announcer), Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, Toni Harper, Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra, Kay Starr, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie.
Saturday, December 16, 2023
Chris Noel - Christmas 1966
Chris had just started doing "Date With Chris" and it was the holiday season
Bob Hope -Christmas in Vietnam 1968
We've made it to December. Christmas is coming. This is Bob Hope's 1968 Christmas show from Long Binh, Vietnam. Whet was it like to be at one of these shows?
Joe Ferguson 1983
Joe Ferguson brings us the best from Portland in another 1983 get together. Thanks for sharing these Joe!
Command Performance - Christmas 1942
Command Performance was an amazing thing. All of the biggest stars made themselves available for the troops. It didn't matter which network or studio. It was the biggest stars and it was all for he troops. This is the big Christmas show from the first year of the network. Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Kris Erik Stevens - Christmas 1979
Kris Erik Stevens was a longtime star of ours. Kris went on to be THE voice of the theaters before the movie.
From Krismas 1979, the American Disco Network presents Kris Erik Stevens.
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Feliz Navidad de Puerto Rico
Ramey AB, Puerto Rico
Ralph Gebes sent along some 1971 memories from AFCN. Ramey was (mostly) closed with a 1973 base re-alignment. Time for "Radio Strikes Back"
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