--- title: "The airman who inspired ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ just died at 79" date: "2019-01-28" modified: "2020-10-22" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/adrian-cronauer-good-morning-vietnam/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "History" - "Movies and TV" - "Vietnam War" - "War History" --- # The airman who inspired ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ just died at 79 ![]() Even though Robin Williams' now-famous morning greeting doesn't make people think of the real Adrian Cronauer, it does a pretty good job of representing who Cronauer was at heart. The former airman [died at his Virginia home]() on July 18, 2018, after a long battle with illness. While Cronauer's trademark, "*Gooooooooood Morning, Vietnam*" is really how the airman opened his show on the Armed Forces Vietnam Network during his time in Southeast Asia, he always insisted Williams' performance in the movie was more Robin Williams than Adrian Cronauer. The film is just loosely based on Cronauer's account of his deployment, with a few striking similarities. ![]() *Cronauer and Williams.* --- "If I did half the things he did in that movie, I'd still be in Leavenworth and not England," Cronauer told Stars and Stripes during a stop at RAF Mildenhall in 2004. When Cronauer left Vietnam, he was replaced by another broadcaster. The show's name remained the same and [Army Spc. 5th Class Pat Sajak opened the 6 a.m. show]() the exact same way, along with every other early morning DJ who would follow. The 1987 film, *Good Morning, Vietnam,* came to America at a time when Americans were still struggling with the Vietnam War. It was a rare departure from the typically grim tales of loss, excess, and suspected POW sightings. Adrian Cronauer would end up working in radio and television broadcasting for more than 20 years. After spending many years as a lawyer, Cronauer became special assistant to the director of the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office in the Pentagon, the office dedicated to finding the missing from America's foreign wars. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()