by Stuart Lough

John Lawrence

John Lawrence has a solid, well deserved reputation as a CBS Correspondent, gained primarily for his on-the-spot coverage of the Vietnam War. Even now, on The History Channel one can occasionally see John taking cover with the grunts and providing coverage while incoming artillery rounds and rifle fire strike perilously close in. John is an accomplished author as well.

Before he rose to fame as a war correspondent John, around 1960, cut his journalistic teeth by starting a little newspaper Called “Surfing”. As I recall, the offices (?) for this little venture were on a second story in a building somewhere in Santa Monica. How I arrived at this office I’m not quite sure but I was there to discuss my creating a masthead for the paper as well as to contribute some cartoons. Being the tough negotiator that I was then we settled on the princely sum of $20.00.

I delivered my material as promised but somehow John never got around to paying me. Later, when the Vietnam War was in full swing and I would see John in his Ernie Pyle role on television I would shout “John, you owe me $20 bucks”. Really though I was very much taken by John’s bravery, putting himself in harms way for the CBS News viewers. Brave man John, but not much of an accountant.

Stuart Lough, December 2003

(c) Stuart Lough 2003 - All Rights Reserved