In FAR EAST DIARY actress and singer Chris Noel discusses her time on the G.I. World of Miller Beer Far East Tour, a tour of U.S. military forces in Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. Joining Noel on the tour is Bill Thrasher and Bhetty Waldron. The film opens with a montage of shots of Noel and Waldron performing for troops and traveling around the region. Betty Waldron then performs for the “Mountain Men of D 7/5” in Korea (03:07), before Chris Noel sings to the same troops (05:25), including “the shyest enlisted man” Noel’s ever met—a pig representing the unit. The good will tour walks five miles to see the Shrine of the White Buddha of Korea (07:00) before departing for Thailand. In Thailand, the group visits troops around the country and receives several gifts from the soldiers, including a plane named after Chris Noel, and military uniforms that Noel and Waldron magically turn into performing outfits (09:08). They join several soldiers while seeing the sights in and around Bangkok (10:53). Noel says that one of the highlights of the tour is when soldiers perform for her, such as private Ralph G. Neason (15:00), whose vocals earn him a kiss from Betty Waldron. They then go to Vietnam and tour the country (17:30), as Chris talks about the joy of spending time with the soldiers. Chris Noel shares a word from Miller Beer, promoting the Miller Man contest, before a montage of shots of the performers singing for soldiers and traveling around the region concludes the film.

Unlike Jane Fonda, Chris Noel was an actress and singer who steadfastly supported U.S. troops and regularly performed for them (primarily in Vietnam); she hosted her own radio show for GIs in Vietnam and advocated for their wellbeing in the decades that followed the Vietnam War. You can read an interview with her here: http://www.historynet.com/the-vietnam-interview-a-date-with-chris-noel.htm

Bhetty Waldron was born on March 23, 1941 in Florida, USA. She was an actress, known for Miami Vice (1984), Police Story (1973) and Hit Man (1972). She died on December 1, 2004 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

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