Midday
July 4, 2008

The Vietnam Tapes is a special Midday program featuring audio letters from the Vietnam War. Dan Kleven of Willmar, Minn., spent 11 months in combat in Vietnam in 1970. He recorded his thoughts on cassette tapes in the field, and sent them back to his family. The hour-long program includes audio from Kleven on guard duty, interviews of his fellow "grunts," and his description of a dangerous raid into Cambodia. The program also includes a view from the home front during this troubled time in American history.

Listen to the program (Please note: this program contains profanity)

Read the transcript

Audio Slideshows

View audio slideshows—each focuses on a different aspect of Dan's experiences during the war.

Reporter's Notebook

Why the tapes take us inside history

Links and resources

Share your personal reflections on the Vietnam war

Revisiting Vietnam, from American RadioWorks (2000)

Vietnam and the Presidency, from American RadioWorks (2006)

Credits

Producer: Sasha Aslanian
Audio engineer: Sam Keenan
Web designer: Rebecca Cioni