'Good Morning, Vietnam' DJ and Air Force veteran Adrian Cronauer dies at 79
By STARS AND STRIPES
Published: July 19, 2018
“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.
Adrian Cronauer is a U.S. Air Force veteran and radio personality whose experiences as a disc jockey during the Vietnam War inspired the 1987 Robin Williams film "Good Morning, Vietnam." Cronauer passed away on July 18, 2018. He was 79.
Many things in Robin Williams' portrayal of DJ Adrian Cronauer in "Good Morning, Vietnam" weren't really based on Cronauer. But that drawn-out "goooooood morning, Vietnam" was all Cronauer.
Cronauer, the Air Force veteran played by Robin Williams in the 1987 movie, died Wednesday. He was 79.
The 1987 movie, which Cronauer co-wrote, was loosely based on his life as an Armed Forces Network disc jockey for a year in Vietnam. But, as he said, it is a movie and Williams’ frenzied performance was not him.
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Yes! Yes! AND OH HELL YES!
If you are sick and tired of people making money off veterans, this will make you happy too!
FTC and States Combat Fraudulent Charities That Falsely Claim to Help Veterans and Servicemembers
Federal Trade Commission
July 19, 2018
The Federal Trade Commission, along with law enforcement officials and charity regulators from 70 offices in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam and Puerto Rico, announced more than 100 actions and a consumer education initiative in “Operation Donate with Honor,” a crackdown on fraudulent charities that con consumers by falsely promising their donations will help veterans and servicemembers.
“Americans are grateful for the sacrifices made by those who serve in the U.S. armed forces,” said FTC Chairman Joe Simons. “Sadly, some con artists prey on that gratitude, using lies and deception to line their own pockets. In the process, they harm not only well-meaning donors, but also the many legitimate charities that actually do great work on behalf of veterans and servicemembers.”
The FTC planned this ongoing effort with the National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO). The initiative includes an education campaign, in English and Spanish, to help consumers recognize charitable solicitation fraud and identify legitimate charities.
Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen said, “Time and again, state attorneys general have come together on matters of national importance to enforce, educate and advocate on behalf of our residents. Charities fraud of any kind is abhorrent, and veterans charities fraud is especially upsetting. This campaign will offer important resources to help donors identify charities that match their own values.”
Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said, “While the enforcement actions announced today represent some truly bad actors in the charitable sector, the vast majority of charitable organizations do good and important work. I urge donors to use the resources highlighted in today’s announcement and to donate with confidence in support of our military and veterans.”
“Not only do fraudulent charities steal money from patriotic Americans, they also discourage contributors from donating to real Veterans’ charities,” said Peter O’Rourke, Acting Secretary for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “The FTC’s Operation Donate with Honor campaign will help educate citizens on how to identify organizations that misrepresent themselves as legitimate veterans charities, and those who, by contrast, truly help our nation’s heroes. I commend the FTC and its state partners for taking strong action on this important issue.”
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Minnesota bans Florida veterans charity that officials say deceived donors, didn't benefit veterans
Star Tribune
Kelly Smith
July 19,2018
It's part of a nationwide crackdown on fraudulent veterans charities.
According to Swanson’s office, Help the Vets, Inc., solicited more than $370,000 in donations from more than 2,000 Minnesotans, telling donors their money would go to veterans’ medical care, operate a suicide prevention program for veterans and offer assistance to veterans fighting cancer.
Instead, most of the program, run by its Orlando-based founder Neil Paulson, distributed hotel and chiropractic vouchers that it had already received for free and officials said the charity couldn’t substantiate that it helped a single veteran.
Minnesota and five other states are permanently banning a Florida charity that promised donations would help disabled and wounded military veterans but instead, officials say, went toward the charity’s president and for-profit telemarketers.
Attorney General Lori Swanson announced Thursday that she got a consent judgment banning Help the Vets, Inc., from soliciting in Minnesota along with action from the Federal Trade Commission and attorney generals from Florida, California, Maryland, Ohio and Oregon.
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UPDATE: Service dog that went missing after veteran’s car was stolen found safely
WTTV 4 News
July 18, 2018
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A Marine veteran’s missing service dog was safely found on Wednesday.
IMPD asked the public to help find 2-year-old Wrigley on Tuesday after its owner’s vehicle was stolen on the south side of Indianapolis.
The vehicle was later recovered on the east side, but police say the dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, was not inside.
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How fast did the word "privatization" pop into your head?
Trump loyalists at VA shuffling, purging employees before new secretary takes over
Washington Post
By Lisa Rein
July 18 at 2:32 PM
Ahead of Robert Wilkie’s likely confirmation to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, Trump loyalists at the agency are taking aggressive steps to purge or reassign staff perceived to be disloyal to President Trump and his agenda for veterans, according to multiple people familiar with the moves.
The transfers include more than a dozen career civil servants who have been moved from the leadership suite at VA headquarters and reassigned to lower-visibility roles. The employees served agency leaders, some dating back more than two decades, in crucial support roles that help a new secretary.
None say they were given reasons for their reassignments.
The moves are being carried out by a small cadre of political appointees led by Acting Secretary Peter O’Rourke who have consolidated power in the four months since they helped oust former Secretary David Shulkin.
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Navy vet survives 300-foot fall from Mount St. Helens
ABC 7 News
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
As a Navy vet, Fintel joked by saying, "Oh crap, I'm being saved by Coasties."
Brittany Fintel knows she cheated death after falling more than 300 feet while climbing Mount St. Helens.
The 32-year-old Omaha, Nebraska native and Navy veteran lost her footing while climbing the 8,663-foot volcano in Washington state.
"The first thing that hit the boulder was my hip," Fintel told KATU. "Then I flipped over that and hit my head, and then kept literally rolling down until I naturally stopped."
Fintel's German Shepherd, named Indie, was the first to reach her after the fall. She said Indie helped by laying beside her and comforting her.
A nurse and search and rescue volunteer who were nearby were able to radio for help. Five hours later, a Coast Guard helicopter arrived to airlift Fintel.
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