I was a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio Service (Good Morning Vietnam) during the War

I was a teenager when Rock and Roll music was introduced in the mid fifties. Bill Haley and his Comets "Rocked us Around The Clock", followed by Elvis Presley with Heartbreak Hotel. Little

I was a teenager when Rock and Roll music was introduced in the mid fifties.  Bill Haley and his Comets "Rocked us Around The Clock", followed by Elvis Presley with Heartbreak Hotel. Little did I know then,that one day I would meet the two people from my home state who wrote that song for Elvis, Mae Boren Axtonand her son Hoyt, from Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Rebel Without A Cause with James Dean was on the silver screen. I had a girlfriend named Donna, took e4r to the drive-in movies in my 46-Ford coupe and we listened to those crazy cats on the radio and I just knew "I had to be a DJ someday". I  joined the US navy in 1958, went to Communications Technicain school at Imperial Beach, California, but, did not get a chance to be a DJ untilI ws transferred to the Pacific Island of Guam in 1965.They had an Armed Forces Radio Serice Radio station  and needed some volunteer announcers, That was it, my chance to be a star ! volunteered over 2,000 hourw of my off-duty hours as an unpaid volunteer on the air, entertaining military families on the island, the residents ,and troops going to and from Vietnam. The Beatles had came to America in the mid sixties,starting what would become known as "The british Invasion" of American music. The Righteous Brother had a hit with "You've Lost That Lovin Feelin" while Sonny & Cher gave us "The Beat Goes On" and I ws having a ball, living a dream on the radio, recachins out to, commuinicating with the masses. I knew of Adrian Croneaur, subject of the movie "Good Morning Vietnam"as portrayed by Robin Williams. Adrian got inhot water and they threatened to send him to Guam. As ilustrated inthe movie our superiors wanted us to be somewhat subdued with our choices of music. Adrian wasn't one to conform ! Robin did a good as Adrian. After my tour in Vietnam,I ws medically discharged fromthe Navy in 1971. I came home to Poteau, Oklahoma and later got on at a 100,000 watt FM, Country music station nicknamed "The King Bee" and I became wellknown throghout WesternArkansas and eastern Oklahoma as, "Diamond Don", "The Jewel of The Airways". Later would be a DJ at another are 100,000 watt Rock Music FM station, KLCO-FM, Poteau, OK.  Little did I realize just how much influence RockN Roll music would have on the youth of America, advancing in stages with drastic changes about every ten -years. Wewent from "In The StillOf The NIght" in the mid fifties to GangsterRap music inciting the listeners to go out and "kill cops". For a few years now, I havce been researching for a bokI am working on titled "Rock N Roll Roots" with a sub-title of "Music, Media & Morals", how the music has changed our  culture, our lifestyles, how it has affected the youth and givinig credence to the proclamations our parents and church pastor's made in the fifties when it all began that, "that evil new music was going to ruin us kids".  Low and behold, as the years have progressed, the music has gotten more uptempo, more radical, and yet, without the thousands of radi stations in the country, the music would have not had any effects on the youth, or any of use, regardless of age. Combiuned with the fact that because we all had to "keep up with the Joneses", both parents had to start working, kids wereleft unattended and while families gained a lot materially, they, over the years,have lost so much family, weakinging the foundation, the social stability of the country. Crime rates have increased dramaticly, along the the progressins of the music,becoming more violentas years go by. And, a lot of people now, are wondering "where we went wrong" ? Why is the United States becoming so "divided", so complex,morally bankrupt and in addition to now being financially bankrupt in 2009. We gave all of our money to China for too many years, and, now we  are having to borrow it back fromthem to "stimulate the economy". Radio and televisions, the media, couldnot have survived over the years without the advertising dollars, selling those toxic products from abroad, that we simply "had to have".  And, now, "the beat goes on" , getting louder by the year, while everyone prays for our coutry to be re-united, for peace and tranquility, law and order, restoration of a failing economy and less government intervention into our lives. "It goes on like this for awhile and then it gets worse ! Along with all the above,throw in the mix, the growing illegal drug problems and how they too have become worse as days go by,with no end in sight. The music plays such an important role in all our lives. Young and old alike, we all like some kind of music ! And, it has been proven that, "what we feed our minds determines to a large degree, our charactrer, our behavior, our attitudes, our relationships with others we associate with'""Peer pressure" that often drags us down,and, family discourse that tears families apart, often because of moneyor alcohol problems. What America really needs righ tnow in 2009, is be "the family that prays together and the family that stays together" ! IN summary, the sooner we realize that our Creator gve us this world, and, provided us with specific guidelins to live by with His Ten Commandments, and, by doing so, we improve our family relationshps and unity, bonding together and restoring the "very foundation of America" the cement of that foundation being "family unity". The plain and simple poroblem is, that we started out on a proper course,and, over time, that course has changed so much that now, it badly need correcting, and, that "change" must come from the bottom up,starting with you, theperson reading this article.  And,now, on the "Diamond Don Deal", let's hear  some more of that mellow memoray making music"fromthe stacks of waxat the back of the racks. , those "oldies but goodies" from back whenit all began, the fifties and sixties. Anyone like to hear some soothing sounds of Henry Mancicni or Ray Conniff ? Perhpss the "Theme From the movie Summer Place" ! End of the show today, time for Tap's now, goonight all of you out there in radio land, tomorow is another day, and, the "Beat WillKeep Going On".

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