Ernie Pyle

Pulitzer Prize Winner

World War II Journalist

Deadeyes Honor and Respect Ernie Pyle, who reported from Okinawa, where he was killed by enemy fire.

Ernie Pyle was from Dana, Indiana

Ernie Pyle once wrote: "I guess it doesn't make any difference once a man has gone. Medals and speeches and victories are nothing to them anymore. They died and others lived and nobody knows why it is so. There's nothing we can do for the ones beneath the wooden crosses, except perhaps to pause and murmur, 'Thanks, pal.'"

Ernest Taylor "Ernie" Pyle (August 3, 1900 – April 18, 1945) was a Pulitzer Prize–winning American journalist, known for his columns for the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain, where he worked as a roving correspondent from 1935 through most of World War II.

Prior to the war he traveled extensively throughout the United States, writing about out-of-the-way towns and their inhabitants in a distinctive, folksy style. After the U.S. entered World War II he reported from the home front and both the European and Pacific theatres, including actions in North Africa, Europe, and the Pacific. He was killed in combat on Iejima during the Battle of Okinawa.

At the time of his death his columns were running in over 300 newspapers, and he was among the best-known American war correspondents. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for his spare, first-person reporting, which highlighted the role and plight of the common "dogface" infantry soldier

   

There is an incredible Video about Ernie Pyle on You Tube.

It cannot be embedded.

https://youtu.be/zb31gk-51Co

The GI Joe video is embedded below.

The Ernie Pyle Bill

"In a column from Italy in 1944, Pyle proposed that combat soldiers be given “fight pay,” similar to an airman’s flight pay. In May of that year, Congress acted on Pyle’s suggestion, giving soldiers 50 percent extra pay for combat service, legislation nicknamed 'the Ernie Pyle Bill.” It added $10 extra to their pay.

http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/library-and-archives/notable-hoosiers/ernie-pyle

 

At Indiana University School of Journalism, Ernie Pyle is revered for his contributions to journalism and honored as the namesake of the building that houses an institution dedicated to teaching students what Pyle mastered: that great storytelling is built on great journalism skills and an ability to explain the larger issues of the world through the eyes of the people most affected by them.

New Statue of Ernie Pyle at Indiana University - Link

   

Two WWII Celebrities:

Ernie Pyle with Bob Hope

   

Ernie Pyle

honored by

TIME Magazine

July 17, 1944

   

The Ernie Pyle World War II Museum - Link

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Located in Dana, Indiana

A great place to visit!

 

Click Here for Link to Photo of Ernie Pyle just after his death. This photograph was not discovered until sixty years after his death. This webpage explains the circumstance of his death.

 

ABOUT Ernie Pyle  

He was a WWII correspondent who won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting from the front lines.

He married Geraldine Siebolds in 1925

He is credited for coining the term "dog-face" infantry soldiers.

He was a well known and folksy style writer of stories of rural life and common individuals before he became famous.

He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve when he was almost eighteen, but only served three months due to the end of WWI.

He was killed during the Battle of Okinawa on a battleground island Ie Jima. He was hit by enemy fire and killed instantly.

His column, feathered by Scripts-Howard Newspaper chainwas syndicated by over 300 newspapers.

Charles Schulz dedicated a Peanuts comic strip to him on Veteran's day in 1997 and 1999.

 

US Postage Stamp

U.S. #1398
16¢ Ernest T. Pyle

Issue Date: May 7, 1971
City: Washington, DC
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Rotary Press
Perforations: 11 x 10 ½
Color: Brown

A well-known wartime correspondent, Ernie Pyle described World War II from the view of a foxhole on the front lines. On April 18, 1945, he was killed on a tiny island off Okinawa by enemy fire.

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Ernie Pyle often referred to our US soldiers as

GI Joes.

The Ernie Pyle GI Joe honors the importance of the role Ernie Pyle played in WWII in the collectable toy market

Below is the Hollywood Movie posted on YouTube.

 

Published on YouTube on Jul 10, 2013 by Paul Murphy
Ernie Pyle's Story of G.I. Joe: A 1945 American war film directed by William Wellman, starring Burgess Meredith who plays Ernie Pyle,and Robert Mitchum. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards.

Hai Sai Okinawa Extra, Ernie Pyle Memorial

Other Links

"The God Damned Infantry" by Ernie Pyle" by By Steven Pressfield A Very good article. honoring Ernie Pyle http://www.stevenpressfield.com/2011/08/the-god-damned-infantry-by-ernie-pyle/

Ernie Pyle, Homespun JournalistThis Excellent Report about Ernie Pyle can be read on this websitehttp://historybecauseitshere.weebly.com/ernie-pyle-homespun-journalist.html