The Story of Ernie Pyle, by Lee G. Miller (HC, 1950, $3)
Ernie Pyle was a great man, and a great reporter, but if you are not of the WWII generation you probably don't know his name. I am a boomer, and I had heard his name, but that was about it until my dad went into a nursing home. Once I realized he could comprehend, and even remember what I read to him, I started to read and read to him. Sometimes I read long after the visiting hours were over, and my voice was hoarse. Those times are still some of my most precious memories.
This all started with Treasure Island, which Dad wanted me to read to him on Christmas, even though I wanted to read the Bible to him. Hey, he was a minister. And it was Christmas. But no, he wanted Treasure Island. (I guess he might have already been acquainted with the nativity passages.) At any rate, it started there, but it continued into books about WWII. Did he ever like to hear about WWII! And that is where Ernie Pyle comes into the story. Ernie was a middle age reporter who tagged along with the advancing troops, and wrote about it for the folks back home. Of course it was partly propaganda, as the stuff he wrote was funny, and war isn't funny, but his writing still feels real. I somehow felt connected to those "boys" over there. Ernie always gave the home addresses of the boys he talked to, addresses right down to the street number. Dad and I followed Ernie from the invasion of Africa, to the taking of the Pacific islands. His last book was titled "The Final Chapter", and I knew how it ended. As the pages became few, I knew his death by a Japanese sniper was close. For over 60 years this man had been dead, but Dad and I still grieved his passing.
The Story of Ernie Pyle is his biography. Read it, and read Ernie's actual writings. Even if you don't have a dad like me, he was still something special. Look for this in the biography section, avail. 1/4.
