Dickie Narrates
"Haunted Courthouses of North Carolina - Supreme Court's Death Portrayal (Part 8)"
Dick Ellis SP5, USA Newsman, Saigon 1967-68
Photo taken in front of the Kyson Hotel during TET'68
At the time this photo was taken many of the AFVN staff were living in the Kyson BEQ.
I think that both Dick Ellis and Joe Ciokon have commented about going out and
helping load the wounded into helicopters.
This was published in the New York Times.
[Posted on Facebook by Paul Blizzard in May 2020.]
Pay attention to the young weatherman when he tells you about hurricanes.....especially hurricane Ginny in 1963.
In 1981 he was invited back to Washington by the Reagan administration to serve as a Presidential Appointee at the Department of Defense. First, as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower, Reserve Affairs and Logistics and later as Executive Director of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves. During the last two years of the Reagan tour he was asked by the White House to open the Office of Veteran's Affairs at the US Small Business Administration.
Ellis is currently Public Information Officer for the NC Administrative Office of the Courts and lives in Raleigh, NC.
[Updated August 29, 2003]
Slide Show
Part 1
96 Photos
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drop mission. He also gathered news and interviews with the Vietnamese Navy, Marine Kit Carson Scouts, 25th Inf. Division and Green Berets in a Montanyard Village near Pleiku. In July of 68, Ellis was hit in the leg by an AK-47 fragment while riding as a LOH helicopter door gunner with the 9th Inf. Division near the delta town of Dong Tam. He was credited with 7 kills and 3 sunken Sampans during the day-long mission. Ellis was replaced in September of 1968 by Tom Steinbeck, younger brother to John. He left AFVN-TV with the US Army rank Specialist 5 with an MOS of 71R-20 [radio television broadcaster].
Returning home to North Carolina, he worked as a newsman for WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina after being hired by veteran broadcasting executive Jesse Helms. In 1973 he served in state government as Public Information Director for the Archives and History Department. In 1975 he was appointed by the governor to serve as North Carolina's Bicentennial Director. He has owned his own advertising company and served as Press Secretary for the NC Republican Party, numerous political campaigns and for a North Carolina Congressman in Washington.
These photos were received from Dick in July 2013. While he was still a callow youth (assuming he had once been one), he played "Whitney, the Hobo" on Station WITN-TV, Washington, NC from 1962 to 1966.
(The one on the right was taken in 2014.)
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Message from Dickie dated April 22, 2016
Dickie the Clown
Hey, I wanted to share this with everyone to prove I have always been a clown!!!! Found this in the back of my computer last night.
Taken in 1965, I think?
When a weather personality was unable to get to Hong Tap Tu Street...Dick was on-the-air weatherman. He also did weekend weather. Ellis managed network weather by traveling to each AFVN detachment that had a studio and helping develop a weather set. He also called weather info and R&R info "up country" to each detachment every afternoon on the "side band short wave" owned by engineering. Following Tet of 1968, Ellis was dispatched to the boonies regularly by Network Chief Producer Cal Lamartiniere, flying with Spookies, FAC's, Dust-Off's, and one leaflet
Dick Ellis covers state election in 1972
I was never this young or this skinny....this is what Photoshop can do for you!!!!! Dickie
[From a message dated December 17, 2014.]
Dick Ellis is a native of Wilson, NC where he began his broadcasting career at age 15. He was working at WITN-TV in Washington, NC as the youngest TV weatherman in the country and kid show clown when drafted into the Army in November 1966. He served as TV Editor in the 18th Airborne/Ft. Bragg Headquarters following basic there until sent to Vietnam. Arriving July 4th, 1967 with orders for AFVN-TV , Saigon. Dick worked the all-night FM shift for a couple of weeks until getting kicked off the air for taking requests.He was assigned to the TV side replacing John Steinbeck, IV [also of AFVN ]. Ellis wrote, produced and voiced for radio and TV. He was anchor and creator of "Insight"an information show once a week...and anchored "In Town Tonight" a Johnny Carson format interviewing vip's and movie stars visiting the troops. He later wrote, produced and co-anchored "Let's Speak Vietnamese" with Mi-Lon from Vietnam Radio. Dick's main job was TV weather producer. He prepared the weather set each evening for two "Bobbi" weather girls (Oberhanski and Keith),and produced their shows in the 6PM news. Dick Ellis' Comments about Bob Dole
Received from Dick Ellis in December 2018.
Dick dictating or envelope eyeing? Note the pre -jungle fatigues fatigues.
[Scanned at the 2014 San Diego Reunion.]
Individual Photo Albums & Stories (Page 1)
Dick talking with Bobbi, the Weather Girl.
Does he always scratch his ear when he gets to close to a pretty girl?
[Scanned at the 2014 San Diego Reunion.]
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