The Voice of an Angel: Chris Noel
March 23, 2024 9:50am
On today's radio program, I interviewed an angel. That episode is now archived online as a podcast at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/240323
During the Vietnam War, Chris Noel was a cute, green-eyed blonde who was known and adored by every serviceman in southeast Asia. She wasn't on a poster tacked to their walls. She was with them on the air. But she didn't only visit American troops via the magic of radio. She was with them live in-person performing onstage, signing autographs, and posing for pictures. It was also important to Chris that she visit our wounded servicemen in the hospitals. She would often be seen sitting bedside holding the hands of wounded GIs offering them comfort, hope, and love. At a time when supporting American military personnel was unpopular, Chris Noel risked not only her Hollywood career, but also her life, to demonstrate her love for our men in uniform. She was so effective in boosting morale that the Viet Cong put a $10,000 bounty on her head.
Back in the States, Chris Noel was known for her starring roles in films with Elvis Presley, Steve McQueen, Dennis Hopper, and Jackie Gleason. But in Vietnam, she was the voice of an angel who visited the troops through her radio show that aired on the military-run radio network (AFVN, the American Forces Vietnam Network, which is best known as the real-life radio station portrayed in Robin Williams' 1987 movie "Good Morning, Vietnam"). She opened every episode of her program "A Date with Chris" with the seductive coo of "Hi, love!" Interspersed among the top songs of the day, her program brought words of comfort and love to the men in the field. Many GIs said her radio show was the sound of home that brought them hope in times of hopelessness. She was on AFVN radio in Vietnam every weeknight from 1966 - 1971.
Chris Noel visited Vietnam more times than she can recall. But unlike many entertainers who participated in USO shows well behind the lines, Noel frequently flew to forward operating bases to visit the men out in the field. Although the military did its best to keep her safe, she was shot at on numerous occasions, and her helicopter crashed in a rice paddy near a suspected Viet Cong village. She survived, of course, and returned to Vietnam many times after those incidents. She cared so much about our servicemen, nothing would keep her away.
Chris Noel's love and support for our military did not stop at the end of hostilities. Since 1993, she has provided free services to veterans at her Vetsville Cease Fire House in Boynton Beach, Florida. That center provides shelter, care, and hope for homeless veterans. She also attended many veteran events across America, including the annual Rolling Thunder gatherings in Washington, DC that focused on remembering our POWs and MIA servicemen. These are just a few examples of her service to our warriors. There are many others.
Chris Noel wrote about her time in Vietnam in her 2011 book "Vietnam and Me." She also spoke about her Vietnam experience in the 2015 radio documentary "AFVN: The GI's Companion" that I produced with Harry Simons. But because she is so humble and does not seek accolades for her work, she would never ask for awards or recognition.
But she deserves to be recognized for her relentless support of our servicemen throughout her life. Thanks to Randy Nichols and Harry Simons, an effort is now underway to submit her name for consideration to be awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This medal is presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
Although the award is given at the sole discretion of the President of the United States, we want the President to know how many Americans are in favor of bestowing this honor upon Chris Noel. If you support this, please sign our petition. Signing the petition will not obligate you to anything. We promise to never ask you for money or send you junk mail. We are only asking you to do two things: 1) add your name to the petition to show your support, and 2) copy and share the www.HonorChrisNoel.com link with your friends, so they can also participate in honoring a humble woman whose service to America's veterans should be honored. Let's not miss this opportunity to recognize Chris Noel's lifelong support of our servicemen. Please sign the petition today.
You can hear Chris Noel, now 82 years old, speak about her life in the interview I recorded with her in West Palm Beach, Florida last week. It aired today on the radio and is now archived online as a podcast at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/240323