USS Philadelphia | GSMC Classics: Now Hear This

Summary

GSMC Classics: Now Hear This – Episode Summary: USS Philadelphia

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Introduction to the USS Philadelphia

In this compelling episode of GSMC Classics: Now Hear This, the listeners are transported back to the tumultuous waters of World War II aboard the formidable light cruiser, the USS Philadelphia. Narrated through the voices of its dedicated crew, the episode masterfully revives the classic radio drama "Now Hear This," originally aired by NBC in 1951. The USS Philadelphia, affectionately dubbed the "galloping ghost of the Sicilian coast," serves as the central setting where bravery, camaraderie, and the harsh realities of naval warfare unfold.

Mediterranean Campaigns and Naval Operations

The USS Philadelphia is depicted as a powerhouse, boasting impressive specifications: "Length overall, 608ft 4 inches. Beam, 69ft 3 and a half inches. Mean draft, 22ft. Horsepower, 100,000" (Bill Conway, 01:42). Under the stern leadership of Captain Paul, the crew embarks on perilous missions across the Mediterranean Sea. Their first significant operation targets Sicily, a strategic point in the war effort.

As the crew navigates through a fierce storm en route to Sicily, tensions rise. Red, the head of naval operations, exhibits unwavering optimism: "Guess I'm right." (Red, 03:24). Despite the chaotic conditions, the USS Philadelphia maintains its course, symbolizing the indomitable spirit of its sailors. The captain's resolute declaration underscores the mission's gravity: "We are on our way to the biggest action of the war... This is the beginning of our all out offensive." (Captain, 04:34).

Combat, Challenges, and Heroism

Upon reaching Sicily, the USS Philadelphia faces relentless assaults from the German Luftwaffe. The crew's resilience is tested as they fend off multiple waves of enemy aircraft and navigate tightly fortified coastlines. Bill Conway narrates the intense combat sequences: "They tried everything they could to keep us from reaching the coast of Italy. But we kept dodging and swerving and still kept our prow straight for our objective." (Bill Conway, 21:08).

The relentless bombardment leads to exhaustion among the crew, evident when Don pens a heartfelt letter to his mother, reflecting on the grim realities of war:

"I have learned why we're in this, why we've got to win it and keep winning wars until the whole world is secure... A 50 caliber machine gun bullet is colorblind and an 88 millimeter shell doesn't care whose church it smashes. Your loving son, Don." (Don, 27:30).

The USS Philadelphia earns the moniker "Galloping Ghost" due to its swift and effective maneuvers, much to the chagrin of the German forces. Bill Conway recounts their achievements: "We ate at those guns and slept at those guns... The Philadelphia was a frightened ship." (Bill Conway, 28:22).

Personal Lives and Morale Amidst War

Amidst the chaos of battle, personal stories add depth to the narrative. Mary, Bill Conway's wife, delivers emotional messages that reveal the strains of separation and the longing for home:

"Your wife, Mary, has been spending quite a few evenings there with Larry Benton... She's been having two and three daiquiris before dinner... It's a platonic thing." (Mary, 09:37–10:22).

The camaraderie among the sailors provides moments of levity and support. Red's teasing interactions with Bill and Don highlight the bonds forged in the crucible of war:

"Hey, Boats, you think maybe we'll put into England first?" (Red, 25:50) and

"Why shouldn't he see that she gets out once in a while? Nothing wrong in that, is there?" (Bill Conway, 11:14).

Final Engagements and The Road Home

As the USS Philadelphia moves from Salerno to Algiers, the crew prepares for continued engagements, embodying resilience despite exhaustion. The captain's final words encapsulate the enduring spirit of the ship:

"You've done a good job, but the war is far from over. Be proud of your ship. Let your ship be proud of you." (Captain, 08:06).

The episode culminates with the USS Philadelphia surviving relentless attacks and maintaining its mission-driven focus. Bill Conway reflects on their journey:

"We finally gave up counting the number of days. We just stood by our gun... And then when they finally shut, we had to struggle up and start firing again." (Bill Conway, 24:19).

Notable Quotes

• "A 50 caliber machine gun bullet is colorblind and an 88 millimeter shell doesn't care whose church it smashes." – Don (27:30)

• "We are on our way to the biggest action of the war... This is the beginning of our all out offensive." – Captain Paul (04:34)

• "We kept dodging and swerving and still kept our prow straight for our objective." – Bill Conway (21:08)

• "You must support our sailors... when you make the gift of blood, you're making the gift of life itself." – Announcer (16:05)

Conclusion

This episode of GSMC Classics: Now Hear This offers an immersive glimpse into the life aboard the USS Philadelphia during World War II. Through vivid storytelling and authentic character interactions, listeners experience the valor, struggles, and enduring brotherhood of naval sailors. The dramatization not only honors the historical significance of naval operations but also personalizes the emotional toll of war, ensuring that the legacy of these unsung heroes resonates with audiences for generations to come.

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About GSMC Classics: Now Hear This

GSMC Classics: Now Hear This is part of the GSMC Classic Series, a collection that brings to life some of the most beloved radio broadcasts, novels, dramas, and more from bygone eras. Produced by Golden State Media Concepts, the series ensures that timeless stories continue to captivate modern audiences across multiple platforms, including YouTube, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, and Deezer. Whether you're a history enthusiast, a naval aficionado, or simply a lover of rich storytelling, GSMC Classics offers an unparalleled auditory experience.

Transcript

[Bill Conway]

Packages by Expedia. You were made to be rechargeable. We were made to package flights, hotels and hammocks for less. Expedia Made to Travel.

[Narrator]

Golden State Media Concepts presents the GSMC Classic Series with episodes of some of your favorites from A day gone by, A time gone by. Join us as we time travel to some of your classic favorites from yesteryear. The GSMC Podcast Network invites you to sit back, relax and enjoy the GSMC Classic Series on the Golden State Media Concepts Podcast Network.

[Captain]

Now hear this. Now hear this.

[Announcer]

The National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with the United States Navy Recruiting Service, presents. Now hear this dramatic stories based on the personal experiences of those gallant men and women who embody the great traditions of a great service, the United States Navy.

[Captain]

Now hear this. Sweepers, man your brooms. Clean, sweep down four and a half.

[Bill Conway]

Dump all trash cans. To a guy who's never buttoned up a pair of tight blue pants, tied a knot in a black silk scarf and shoved off for a three day shore, leaving a foreign port might sound a little funny. That 10,000 tons of fighting ship is a she, but to a sailor, his ship is a lady. I remember when I first fell in love with a battle baby known as the USS Philadelphia. Oh brother, she had everything. A real beauty. Length overall, 608ft 4 inches. Beam, 69ft 3 and a half inches. Mean draft, 22ft. Horsepower, 100,000. And to make sure that she was really loved, she had a wartime complement of 84 officers and 1199. And you know something? Each one of them was proud that he could call that light cruiser his baby. Anyway, I was captain of a gun crew who'd seen her get a baptism of battle at Safi was with her when she was given a well deserved rest. And then a few months later found herself and her crew cutting through the Mediterranean Sea at 31 knots.

[Don]

Dear Mom, I've tried to answer all your questions. Please don't worry so much. I try to do everything that you want me to. Only Mom, I'm not a baby anymore. The guys that laugh at me, they're a swell bunch of guys. And even if they do kid me because I'm younger than they are, I think they like me. I'm a sailor now, mom, just like the rest of the guys like Conway.

[Bill Conway]

Here we go again. Look, just once, Red, just once, guess at something, will you? You're always so positive.

[Red]

Guess I'm right.

[Announcer]

Never wrong, huh?

[Red]

Did I call that planet Saffi And Casablanca. Conway, did I tell you exactly where we were heading hey, Boats, come here.

[Bill Conway]

You've been in the Navy a long time. You ever seen a sailor so positive? Just once. At the time he was head of naval operations.

[Red]

Hey, kid, I'll be with you in a second. Well, let the kid hold the money, Cow.

[Bill Conway]

Okay. One thing I've learned in the Navy, wait for orders. But of course, sailors nowadays are impatient. No, I just need the money, Boats. And it's an easy way to earn $5. You want to see me, Red?

[Red]

Yeah. All this money for us, Dan? I'll collect it as soon as the captain briefs it.

[Bill Conway]

Now, don't go too far away, kid.

[Don]

Oh, no, no. I'll be in my bunk. I got a letter to finish.

[Bill Conway]

Your mother, huh? Hey, kid, tell her to send some more of those cookies, huh? The chocolate ones with the nuts on top.

[Red]

I like the white ones.

[Don]

Look, I'll have her send both. You want anything, Conway?

[Bill Conway]

Yeah, I want to go home. Well, who doesn't?

[Captain]

Now hear this. This is the captain.

[Bill Conway]

All right, keep it down, man. It's Captain Paul.

[Captain]

As you know, we've just joined the task force.

[Red]

And you thought it was the Italian force.

[Bill Conway]

All right, all right. I was kidding. I was kidding.

[Captain]

We are on our way to the biggest action of the war. The target is sizzling.

[Red]

Hand it out of the kid.

[Don]

Okay, Conway.

[Bill Conway]

Okay, Red. You're too smart for one sailor. True.

[Captain]

We are running into a storm. There's a fight to keep the ships from being scattered. That fight will be won on the bridge. When the landing is attempted, when the Navy is called on for support, every man aboard every vessel will join the fight. Remember, this is no and run invasion. This is the beginning of our all out offensive. The infantry is counting on the Philadelphia. I'm counting on you.

[Bill Conway]

Carry on, Sicily. You know, my barber came from Sicily.

[Red]

Hey, boats, the ship's starting to dance like a fool. Supposing the ships do start to scatter.

[Bill Conway]

Let the captain worry about that. You coming?

[Red]

Yeah.

[Bill Conway]

You know, I bet he'll never believe it when I tell him I saw Sicily. This was no ordinary storm we ran to on the way to Sicily. It was the kind of a storm a sailor makes up when he wants to impress some dame. But we caught winds that have been saving themselves since Columbus. That nice, quiet, blue Mediterranean got real tough. But we were sailing under orders. And our orders said, get to Sicily. So we got to Sicily, where it was nice and quiet.

[Captain]

Deflection 1, 3. Range 8, 2, 7, 5. Bearing a 2, 4, 0. Fire. Salvo. Fire on target.

[Bill Conway]

Can't get those shelves up I'm going.

[Don]

As fast as I can.

[Bill Conway]

Come on, keep that gun firing. Hey folks, there must be thousands of those guys hitting the beach.

[Red]

That better be hand them kid.

[Don]

Don't make up your mind.

[Bill Conway]

Red.

[Red]

You be careful. I'll take you over my knee and spank you.

[Captain]

Turn three. Defection one. Range eight two double O. Bearing one one three.

[Bill Conway]

Got that Conway?

[Red]

I got it.

[Captain]

Turn it three. I'll repeat.

[Red]

Hey Benson, get those fuses set. We're going to win this part of the war alone.

[Bill Conway]

Nobody won that war alone, but everyone thought he did. We ate at those guns and slept at those guns. After a few days, the captain began to push the ship around like a jeep. We began to beat places where no one expected us. Began to sight on targets that you just can't hit with a cruiser. But we hit them. We got around. Sicily got around so fast that the Germans gave us the name the Galloping Ghost of the Sicilian coast.

[Captain]

There's a tank that's bothering the infantry. T3.

[Bill Conway]

Is that the only number the lieutenant knows?

[Captain]

Deflection 1 4. Range 92 0. Bearing 33 0. Plants.

[Bill Conway]

You guys want some coffee? I want some sleep. You slept two days ago.

[Don]

I'll have some boats.

[Bill Conway]

Careful, it's hot.

[Red]

Gotta feel this gun.

[Captain]

All guns. Enemy aircraft approaching around the cl.

[Bill Conway]

We hopped up and down the shoreline and then put into Palermo harbor at night. Close to shore, but far enough out to give us some room to maneuver. Land based planes were doing their best to make the Galloping Ghost a real ghost. Boats. It's such a small island. They got smaller ones in the Pacific and just as tough.

[Red]

Hey, I heard Berlin Bertha. A couple hours ago she reported we were sunk.

[Bill Conway]

Hey kid, you're keeping score? How many times is that that we've.

[Don]

Been hit or sunk?

[Red]

Yeah, let's have the grand total.

[Don]

Well, according to German intelligence, we've gone down 22 times.

[Bill Conway]

She's coming on again. Let's listen, huh?

[Red]

I like to get my hands on that gal.

[Don]

I wonder how she gets her information.

[Red]

People talk too much.

[Mary]

Good evening, boys. I have a few messages for you. Oh, by the way, the name of that song is I'll Be Home for Christmas. Wouldn't you like that? Boy, wouldn't it be fun to be home for Christmas?

[Bill Conway]

Yeah, right off the bat. She starts with the needle.

[Mary]

Well, the German Luftwaffe will see that you get home. Of course, you could get there quicker if you just see the futility of the whole thing.

[Red]

Yeah, we just can't seem to win at nothing.

[Mary]

And now a few words from our dear friends aboard the light cruiser the USS Philadelphia.

[Red]

Hey, guys, she's gonna talk about us again.

[Mary]

Through some error, it has been reported that you were sunk. Not yet, boys, but soon.

[Don]

Don't count on it.

[Mary]

There's a gun pointer aboard the Philadelphia named William Conway.

[Bill Conway]

You know, she knows the.

[Red]

Hey, that's me.

[Mary]

Hope you're listening, Billy boy, because I have regards for you from the gang at Cheerios Restaurant in New York. Your wife, Mary, has been spending quite a few evenings there with Larry Benton. You remember Larry, don't you?

[Bill Conway]

Yeah, yeah. Let's turn this off, play a little bit.

[Red]

Leave it alone.

[Bill Conway]

Leave it alone.

[Mary]

She's been having two and three daiquiris before dinner. Brandy and champagne. Of course. It's a platonic thing. After all, Larry's your best friend. Give him our regards next time you write to her.

[Bill Conway]

Bill.

[Red]

What do you listen to that crumb for?

[Bill Conway]

What do you care anyway? I couldn't expect Mary to sit home every night, could I? Could I?

[Red]

Of course not.

[Announcer]

All right. Larry's my pal.

[Bill Conway]

Why shouldn't he see that she gets out once in a while? Nothing wrong in that, is there? Well, is there? Oh, she's your wife. Bill. That dame was just blown off. Hot air, huh? Oh, yeah. I know that, folks.

[Announcer]

I know.

[Bill Conway]

Hey, let's play a little rummy. Yeah, do me in.

[Don]

Can I play that deal?

[Bill Conway]

A kid and two will play partners only if. If she is going out, who's taking care of the K? Sure, she got under our skin. We were only human. Only the effect was a little different than the German propaganda machine expected. It just got us hopping mad. So mad that we couldn't wait until morning when the galloping ghost of the Sicilian coast could lift anchor and start dropping shells all over the pride of the German army. They got us so mad we went nuts, begging for more action. And then more and more. Any place, anywhere, as long as we had a target.

[Captain]

Target barn. Turrets 1 and 3. Sailboat, fire. Deflection 2 5. Range 9590. Bearing 31 5. Fire. Target chairman.

[Red]

Tank.

[Captain]

Range 5 900. Bearing 32 5. Fast.

[Bill Conway]

We gotta get this war over fast.

[Don]

I'm so tired I can't keep my eyes open.

[Red]

It's magging over.

[Bill Conway]

Telephone.

[Announcer]

Next it'll be Toothpick.

[Bill Conway]

Come on. Keep those shells moving.

[Captain]

Hurry, three. Now hear this. This is the captain. The Sicilian campaign is at a close. The island is secured. The Philadelphia is putting into Algiers. You've done a good job, but the war is far from over. The Philadelphia has a reputation to maintain, and I mean to see, that this reputation is maintained both on land and at sea. Be proud of your ship. Let your ship be proud of you. Strictly off the record, but as one sailor to another, thanks and liberty will be given to the entire ship's company.

[Bill Conway]

Hey, fellas, who is about to come.

[Red]

With me to the Cat's Bar?

[Bill Conway]

Hey, I'll come when you're red.

[Red]

Ah, you're too young, John. Hey, Conway, how do you think I look at one of those hats with the tassels on?

[Bill Conway]

They wear sheets, too. You'd look great in one of those.

[Red]

Well, isn't exactly regulations, post. But the old man said to relax. Anybody seen my shoe? Probably, and you locked.

[Bill Conway]

Hey, maybe I'll send Mary one of those leather pocketbooks. You can't get Moroccan leather in New York. You stay away from these guys, Don.

[Don]

Oh, now, come on, boats. I can take care of myself.

[Red]

I'll watch him. Oh, brother. Algiers.

[Don]

Hey, can I have my pen back? Read. I want to send my kid brother a letter. I'll mail it. From Algiers. You know he saves stamps. He's got a swell collection.

[Bill Conway]

Just make sure the Navy reads it first.

[Don]

Oh, yeah, yeah, I will. Let's see.

[Red]

What line will I use on a native? Big hero? No, I just come in the Air Force.

[Don]

Dear Tommy, we've just finished our action at Sicily. No matter what they say in the papers, it was no fun. It's all right to play war with tin soldiers, but it's no fun when they can shoot back. I promised to send you some souvenirs and I did. I bought a couple of German medals from a Seabee in Palermo. Also a pair of binoculars which I found on the beach. The binoculars are engraved with a German major's name. Tommy, I'm gonna get you everything you asked for. Pictures of our ship. I got some swell ones a guy took when we were being dive bombed. Stamps from Italy and Africa. A hand tooled leather belt. I'll get that in Algiers only. Not the gun, Tommy. Not the gun. Your big brother. Don't.

[Announcer]

You know not all of us can be members of the United States Navy or one of the other branches of the armed forces which defend our American democracy and way of life. But we can actively support our sailors, soldiers, marines and airmen by making donations of our own blood, which in many cases is the contribution of life itself. You see, the Department of Defense's supplies of dried human blood plasma have been gravely depleted by the demands of the Korean campaign and must be replenished to give the greatest degree of protection to our men in the service. This need is vital, for it's essential that an adequate supply be maintained at all times, ready for the immediate use of our military men. In any given emergency. The Navy urges you to contact your nearest Red Cross office and ask where and when you may make your contribution of blood to our armed forces. And remember, when you make the gift of blood, you're making the gift of life itself to those who have defended and are defending the principles by which we live. The armed forces of the United States.

[Bill Conway]

The USS Philadelphia, the very tired galloping ghost of the Sicilian coast, pulled into the harbor at Algiers. And some very tired sailors dried their sea legs on the Moroccan coast. Oh, we had plans for a long liberty and maybe a trip back to the states. But on September 5th, not long enough. Liberty was cut short. We were streaming back across the Mediterranean. We sighted Sicily and kept right on going to the coast of Italy, shooting the breeze on the Philly. All we knew was that we were going into action. But at the time, the towns that sat on the boot and ankle of Italy were just so many names on a map. But we got up pools and waited to see who won. We tossed a lot of names in a hat. Names like Paola, Tempsa, Palme, Salerno.

[Red]

I was just starting to get around. Next thing I know, back to work.

[Bill Conway]

Well, yeah, but the pay's so good, the hours are short, and the Navy gives you a chance to see the world.

[Don]

Does anybody care if I turn on the radio?

[Red]

No. Later, kid.

[Bill Conway]

Let him turn it on.

[Red]

Why ask for trouble, Conway?

[Bill Conway]

Who's asking? Two weeks and no letter. She's living it up so fast, she hasn't even got time to drop me a postcard. Go ahead, kid. Turn on the radio.

[Mary]

Greetings to all my friends in the American army and Navy.

[Red]

Don't you know any pilots?

[Mary]

Really, boys, it's a shame that you have to die for such a lost cause. Just so that you won't be too surprised, the coast of Italy is quite well fortified. In fact, I doubt very much if you'll have more than a few square feet to bury your dead.

[Bill Conway]

Oh, I'd like to bury her. Got some real fine ideas.

[Mary]

To Seaman First Class Jim Delahanty of the far scene. Congratulations, Jim, on the birth of your son. Too bad you'll never get to see him. To the members of the Philadelphia. You are now on your way to Salerno. They'll be quite a welcome for you.

[Don]

Hey, we're going to Salerno.

[Mary]

Yeah.

[Bill Conway]

Yeah. Who had Salerno in the pool?

[Red]

Me?

[Bill Conway]

Naturally.

[Mary]

Lieutenant Kelly of the Philadelphia. Your mother is quite ill. Probably won't live out the months. She'd like to see you.

[Red]

Why, that's no good.

[Mary]

Gonna have to quit early tonight. Fellows have a lot of work to do on American casualties. Oh, by the way, while I'm with you boys, I'm a filly. Bill Conway, your wife left town for a few days. By a funny coincidence, your best friend.

[Bill Conway]

What'd you do that for?

[Red]

Red, because you're just beating yourself.

[Bill Conway]

All right. I know what I'm doing. All right, Take it easy, fellas. The enemy's on the other side of this ship.

[Red]

Everything that Babe says, you believe. So you got to stop listening to her, understand?

[Bill Conway]

Any way I can stop thinking. General quarters. There's one.

[Red]

Right.

[Captain]

Come on, let's. Enemy aircraft approaching.

[Don]

Must be 50 of them.

[Bill Conway]

They want us bad.

[Red]

That Berlin Bertha isn't giving us the needle for nothing.

[Bill Conway]

Not those shells rolling. Hey, Red. Port side. Somebody got one.

[Red]

It didn't even make a den. They're still coming.

[Bill Conway]

Those planes are going to start bomb runs.

[Don]

This is worse than Sapphire. Worse than Sicily.

[Captain]

Start under the water.

[Red]

Well, as long as she sits back.

[Bill Conway]

Down all by herself. They came over in waves, dropping bombs and circling torpedoes. They tried everything they could to keep us from reaching the coast of Italy. But we kept dodging and swerving and still kept our prow straight for our objective. Three waves in less than an hour. And finally, the all clear. An all clear that carried with it the command, stand easy at guns. We got to know those names on the map real well. So well that even today, if you walk up behind a guy who served on the Boise, the Brooklyn, Savannah or the Philadelphia, walk up behind him and whisper, salerno. He won't come off the ceiling for a week. Nobody could convince us that the German Luftwaffe was a thing of the past. We saw too much of him. Nobody could convince us that the soft underbelly of Europe was flabby. No, sir. Was hard as iron, tough as steel. Especially the kind of steel that they were tossing at us and we were tossing back at them.

[Captain]

Yards. Bearing 2, 2, 6. Album. Right 5 degrees rudder. All ahead standard.

[Bill Conway]

Keep pulling our shells.

[Captain]

Target artillery concentration range Signature two. Lieutenant, the army wants more support of sector nine. Pinpoint those shells.

[Don]

Those poor guys. Those poor guys on that beach boats. They need more help.

[Bill Conway]

Keep pouring those shells.

[Captain]

Enemy aircraft approaching.

[Bill Conway]

Five days.

[Red]

Five solid days.

[Bill Conway]

Come on, Red. Come on, get them moving.

[Red]

Thousand shells. I bet we fired a thousand shells in an hour.

[Captain]

Commander, the army wants us to support them. At red base. Captain, army wants us to support them at Green Beach.

[Red]

Seven days.

[Bill Conway]

Seven solid days.

[Don]

My arms ache. My head aches. When are we going to get some rest?

[Captain]

Helmsman, left 4 degrees rudder. All ahead turn. All batteries, salvo. Fire. Target German army.

[Bill Conway]

Keep those shells moping.

[Captain]

Mop and mop. Enemy aircraft approach.

[Bill Conway]

Hot coffee cookie. Make it hot.

[Don]

Boats likes the chocolate, and red likes the vanilla. Boats likes the chocolate.

[Bill Conway]

Red like lavender. Days.

[Red]

11 solid days.

[Bill Conway]

We finally gave up counting the number of days. We just stood by our gun. Food was brought to us, Food was tossed over the side. When our relief showed, we just slid to the deck and lay there with our eyes wide open, so tired that we couldn't even close them. And then when they finally shut, we had to struggle up and start firing again. And one day, the Luftwaffe didn't show up. One day the shore batteries petered out, and Salerno or the army moved on. The Philadelphia put to sea, passed Gibraltar into the Atlantic, and headed, we hoped, for home.

[Red]

Now, boats doesn't impress me a bit. I don't care where we're headed.

[Bill Conway]

I got a pal in the radio shack scuttlebutt says that we're on our way to the States. Well, I'd rather be back at Salerno. Oh, you've got strange tastes.

[Don]

Anybody seen Conway around?

[Red]

Yeah, he's in his body.

[Bill Conway]

Over here, kid. Oh, hey, I got a letter for you.

[Don]

It's from the States.

[Bill Conway]

Thanks.

[Don]

I want. You gonna read it?

[Bill Conway]

I'll get to it.

[Red]

Hey, Don, let me use your pen, huh? We got a leave coming. I want to warn a few girls that the redhead's on his way home.

[Don]

Well, I got a short letter to write, and then you can use it.

[Bill Conway]

Let it from your wife, Conway. Yeah.

[Red]

Hey, Boats, you think maybe we'll put into England first?

[Bill Conway]

I thought you were the expert.

[Red]

Well, I've retired. Every time I make a right guess, we get there when we get there. I'm sorry I came.

[Bill Conway]

Hey, Conway. You'll never find out what's in it if you keep staring at the envelope. You want to read it?

[Red]

Can't be any worse than Solano.

[Bill Conway]

Darling, please forgive me, but for the past only. Hey, Red, come here. Come here. Get this, will ya? Look, for the past two and a half weeks, I've been knocking myself out helping Larry get married. He doesn't know a thing about apartment hunting, buying furniture. And this girl is on the west coast.

[Captain]

What do you know?

[Bill Conway]

Hey, Red, she was only helping out my pal. Can you imagine that jerk getting married? Oh, I hope I get home in time to warn him. Well, you seem to like it. Oh, well, it's okay for me. I'm the marrying kind of guy. But you know, boats, it takes a certain kind of guy to get married. You got to be able to understand women.

[Red]

I understand that women's one of my best talents. Hey, kid, hurry up with that pen, huh? Hey, tell me, Conway, when did you first get discovered that you knew so much about women, huh?

[Don]

Before I left home, you gave me a big lecture on just what this was all about. I yesed you and couldn't wait until I got out of the house to show off my uniform. Dad, I'm not quite sure that I understand what you had in mind. Even now, the big political and world problems are still a little too much for me. Only during the past few weeks, I've learned a little bit about the fighting end of war. And I think it's taught me why we're in this, why we've got to win it and keep winning wars until the whole world is secure. You see, dad, I've seen shipmates die. I've seen a beach. That word that used to mean swimming and girls and hot dogs. I've seen a beach covered with guys who wanted to live and never got a chance. Dad, the broadside of a battleship doesn't care how a man votes. A screaming torpedo doesn't hold back for a big bank account. But most important, dad, the most important thing I learned at bloody Salerno is that a.50 caliber machine gun bullet is colorblind and an 88 millimeter shell doesn't care whose church it smashes. Your loving son, Don.

[Bill Conway]

You know something? The German propaganda machine managed to do something their entire army, air force and Navy couldn't do. They sank the Philadelphia not once, but a grand total of 38 times. You know, that's an awful lot of times to the down, especially for a ship that didn't even get scratched. Anyway, we considered the publicity an honor. Talked almost as much about that as we did the five battle stars that the galloping ghost of the Sicilian coast received in less than two years. North African occupation, Sicilian occupation, Salerno landings, Anzio Nettuno advanced landings, and the invasion of southern France. That was a lot of fighting, sure, but the Philadelphia was a frightened ship.

[Captain]

All hands secure. Until this same time next week.

[Announcer]

The National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with the United States Navy Recruiting Service, has brought you another in the series of dramatic incidents based on the experiences of the men and women in the United States Navy. In today's story boats was Larry Haynes. The cast included Don Briggs, Lyle Sudro, Ian Martin, Martin, William Redfield, Joseph Julian and Rica Lear. The program was written and directed by David Harmon and produced by Chick Vincent and Silvine. Jack Costello speaking Tune in again next week at this same time when the National Broadcasting Company will once again present.

[Bill Conway]

Now hear this.

[Announcer]

Stay tuned for you can't take it with you next over NBC.

[Narrator]

You've been listening to the GSMC Classic Series, part of the Golden State Media Concepts Podcast Network. Follow us at www.gsmcpodcast.com and find all of our timeless programming by typing GSMC Classics into any podcast app, including Apple podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and more. Remember to subscribe to the GSMC Classic Series podcasts of your choice to stay up to date on new episodes. And if you could take a minute to give us a nice review, that really helps us to get this ageless programming out to others who would enjoy it just as much as you have. Check out all of our GSMC Classics Series podcasts. Whether you're in the mood for comedy, romance, adventure, history, science fiction, horror or anything in between, the GSMC Classics series has you covered. Thank you and we hope you have enjoyed today's program on the Golden State Media Concepts Podcast Network.