Gary Lawrence Bautell (May 31, 1942 – November 22, 2022) was an AFN Europe radio announcer living in Wiesbaden, Germany.
During his more than 60 years at AFN, he introduced postwar Germany to American rock ‘n’ roll and interviewed a slew of national and military leaders.
Having previously been stationed in Karlsruhe, Germany, as a combat engineer, Bautell re-enlisted in the Army after working as a DJ in Houghton Lake, Michigan.
[1] In this capacity, he interviewed every German chancellor from Willy Brandt to Angela Merkel, several US Secretaries of Defense, and Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Due to the popularity of AFN programs among American military personnel as well as German civilians, his voice was widely recognized in Germany.