The only way we,(135th Inf. Regt.) knew about Ernie Pyle was when the
messenger brought a copy of the "Stars and Stripes", then we read his articles
and saw Bill Mauldins' cartoons. Roque
My dear friend H.E. Harvey, 36th Engineer, recently sent me this article. Thanks H.E! We too LOVE Ernie!
It's called The Unfinished Column
In the last seven years of my research, Ernie Pyle's name has often been quoted. He was a very special guy and a great war correspondent. You may know this quotation from Ernie but it bears repeating.
There is nothing we can do
for the ones beneath the
wooden crosses except to
pause and murmur,'Thanks, pal'
I like to think he wrote that on Sicily but I'm not sure. It still applies today. I live in Wootton Bassett where eight coffins containing the bodies of eight dead British soldiers have just passed down the high street!
Hey Colin:
So good to see you back. Welcome, welcome!
I have never heard a disrespectful word uttered about Ernie. Yes, he was one heck of a guy and one hell of a reporter. We need people like him today.
Hey Marion,
Thank you for the kind words. I agree with all you said.
It was interesting to see an article on American Ernie Pyle in list of famous war correspondents in a UK weekend newspaper, in fact he topped the list!
Ernie was'nt interested so much in strategies and orders of battle, but more in the ordinary GI's in the field. Over the last nine years of my interest in WWII research I have come across him on many occasions. It is poignient to remember he was killed by Japanese machine gun fire, reporting as ever from the front line.
Colin.
Yes, I believe you are correct. He is definitely one of my faves from WWII. I would have loved to meet him, wouldn't you?
I am going to place your post within another one we had going a while back...