Stew Redwine (00:00):
Hello, it's Stew Redwine and this is a special bonus episode of Ad Infinitum. What you're about to hear is something personal. This piece was produced in collaboration with the team at Ad Infinitum. Was sound designed by John Matano and audio production by Zach Hahn. We created it for the 20,000 Hertz competition sound off where audio storytellers from around the world were invited to submit short, fully produced stories that explore the power of sound. Thanks for listening to the Sound of Falling. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday Paul. We hope you like this birthday tape player. And tape.

Herold Redwine (00:41):
Hi Paul, hope you have a happy birthday. You're getting younger every year. Happy birthday Paul.

Stew Redwine (00:50):
Those are recordings of my cousins and my uncle from 36 years ago when my Uncle John gave my grandfather a tape recorder to recount his stories of being shot down and as a prisoner of war during World War ii. My name is Stew Redwine and this is the sound of falling.

Herold Redwine (01:11):
Left side was on fire. I bailed out and then all at once, she just blew right out the sky. It was somewhere between nine and 10,000 feet. It was colder than hell. Fairly clear few clouds. I thought to myself, well, you hadn't had too much of any instructions except count to 10, pull the rip cord. By the time I get ahold of the rip cord start pulling on the handle, nothing happened. The shoot didn't open. Then I saw, now I don't even have hold the rip cord. I've gotta hold the handle that you carry the shoot around on, which is about four inches from the rip cord. So I reached up and I pulled that rip cord and right away little chute comes out. When that parachute opened, I prayed little who, what you you'd prayed to.

(02:09):
It's quite a sensation falling through those clouds. It's just deathly quiet. A waste kinda issued. Didn't open anyone. Could have had that shoot, but it was, uh, I don't want make this recording about that. I hit the dirt, started running over towards Lee, and all of a sudden dirt was flying up in front of me. 30 40 Germans over the horizon there, all over the hill. Needless say, I threw my hands in there and threw my 45 on the ground. Wasn't no need in me fighting the whole German army. A few minutes here came a German Jeep. They loaded Lee and myself up in the Jeep and, and took us to Frankfurt for interrogation. Five days, five nights. That was a hell hole. You get to the point where you don't care, but you still don't talk because if you did talk, you might still be there or, uh, be six feet under. Take your choice.

Stew Redwine (03:26):
He was shot down on January 21st, 1944, and liberated on April 27th, 1945. For much of that time, he was a prisoner of war at Stog Loft six in Nazi occupied East Prussia, what is now Modern day Lithuania.

Herold Redwine (03:45):
I was in on one escape deal, and that's another story. He had, uh, took us six months to work this thing up and, uh, well, it didn't develop. It developed to the extent where, um, a couple of them got shot, you know, but, uh, well, I don't feel like going into that right now. They walked us out of there. We was headed toward Berlin, so they told me, they called it the Black March. February's cold nepr pressure. We was on that March 68 days. You didn't walk, you didn't jog, you ran. In fact, if you didn't jab it bang up, up your rear and that'd get you to going quick. The first two or three days is the roughest part. All you'd dream about at night was food. At least two thirds of us, you know, made it through that march. Some of that stuff, uh, shouldn't ever be recorded and, and it,

Stew Redwine (05:19):
I already believed my grandfather was a courageous man. And as I listened back to these recordings and share them with you, I understand even more the courage it took to tell these stories, especially when I hear 'em hold back. And as I grow older, I understand the silence. This story has been a part of my family for decades, and it means a lot to share with you. If you've got stories in your family, big or small, I hope this encourages you to preserve them. Even a single voice can echo through the generations and they're worth preserving. Thank you so much for listening. And more soon, right here on Ad Infinitum.