The Story Of WWII Veteran And POW Earl Casebier Is One Of The Highlights Of My Time At Barstool Sports
Ive said it a million times but doing ZBT is by far my favorite thing at Barstool. I love doing the radio show with Kate. I love blogging about dumb shit on the internet but ZBT is like my Barstool baby.
We’ve been able to interview personal heroes of mine like Kyle Carpenter and tell incredible tales like when Rob Oneill put 4 rounds in Osama Bin Laden’s face. We were able to talk to a man in his 90s that stormed the volcanic sands of Iwo Jima and have beers with Medal of Honor recipients Florent Groberg and Dakota Meyer. If there have been stories about the military over the last 3 years, we’ve covered it.
Sometimes, though, sometimes listeners and stoolies catch me off guard. Friday was one of those days.
I was sitting at home on Friday night and watching a movie with my family. I saw a DM pop up and I opened it. A young dude had slid in my DMs after listening to the episode that we did with Stanley Rubin, the Iwo Jima veteran, and asked if we’d be interested in hearing the story of his grandfather who had been a POW and Purple Heart recipient during WWII. Of course, I said yes so he sent me over the file.
On Saturday, I listened to the account of a man who had been through things that I cannot even begin to imagine. Just listen to that clip from the tweet above. 250 went. 6 remained. Mr. Casebier went on to tell his story in incredible detail for over an hour. His grandson told me that Earl never really spoke about the war much but opened up to some family members in his waning years. In the background of the recording, you can hear daughters, sons, mothers, and fathers groaning during the horrid details and then laughing during times of levity. Everyone in the room hanging on Earl’s every word just like I was Saturday morning.
Sadly, Earl died a few years ago, but thanks to his grandson and his bravery, more people can hear the story of real bravery, real fear, real relief at coming home, and the real pride of his family in his last years.
If you listen to anything today, have it be the story of Earl Casebier, a man who fought through the fog of Italy, completed a 750-mile death march, lived 15 months as a POW and raised a family who was so proud of him, even years after his death, that they passed his story onto a stranger so more folks could get a glimpse of man that was Earl Casebier. Fair winds and following seas, Earl.