16 Feb Week 86 – Guest Find – WWII Vet Tape

This weeks find comes from Darrel, a fellow cassette enthusiast who found this amazing tape in Austin, Texas. This recording was made by a grandfather for his grandchildren to tell them about his life and experiences in the Navy during WWII. If you can get past his monotone voice the story has some amazing detail and some great deadpan wit. 

On the first side the narrator describes meeting and falling in love with his wife and enlisting in the Navy to fight in the war. He goes through training and then ships out of San Francisco on the USS Helena. He goes into some great detail about different battles and scenarios that occur.

The second side has the final conclusion of Robert’s time fighting on the USS Helena. He goes into detail about Helena’s final battle of the and how he escapes the sinking ship. Amazing stuff.