GOOD MORNING NEWPORT NEWS!!

We just watched a special about Robin Williams from beginning to end, his end. I think he was genius in acting. Anyway, it reminded me of the time I was on the USS NEWPORT NEWS’s Helicopter Crew from about Dec 29, 964, to about the first week of February 1965, slightly over a month. We left a Naval Base in Virgina, stopped at a Naval Base near Jacksonville, Florida, Mayport I think the name of it, and we got to in Jacksonville that New Years Eve, then on through the Gulf and up the Mississippi River to New Orleans where we met the Brit sailors and reacted the Battle of New Orleans – or day did. I had fun playing in the streets of the Crescent City. As a member of the Helo crew my co-workers and I spent a lot of time on the main deck of the ship. The Executive Office (assistant captain) spent a lot of time on the main deck too, I don’t think he had much to do. Another fellow, short, blondish hair and big round glasses also spent a lot of time there with nothing to do. One day I saw the Executive Officer talking for a long time to the little guy with the big round glasses. They talked into detail. Then they left and went below deck. Later that day the little guy could not wait to tell us what hey were talking about. Since the kid did not have anything to do, the Executive Office gave him the duty as the ship’s DJ. It took him a while to go over the details. He was to play popular music that most every body would like, news (non-controversial), ships announcements and anything else he could comeup with to take ship life less boring.. I think it took him about a week to come up with a doozy: People to call in to complain. They complain about the food, regulations, bully NCO’s and everything else they could think of. I don’t remember if the XO put an end to that or not. I know by his expressions he did not like it. I looked up GOOD MORNING VIETNAM! To see if it might have been an inspiration to the little guy with big glasses but no, GOOD MORNING VIETNAME was started in 1965 in Saigon by Airman 2ndclass Adrian Cronamer. GOOD MORNING VIETNAM was in a later part of 1955, so Airman 2nd Class Adrian Whazhizname couldn’t have inspired the little guy with big glasses, but the little guy with glasses may have spired Adrian. USS NEWPOT NEWS probably carried troops too.