Ernie Pyle Was My Hero

Ernie Pyle’s writings about Soldiers during World War II were always an inspiration during my career as a feature broadcaster and writer. Full of flavor about “GI” life, I followed Mr. Pyle’s example of accompanying Soldiers during training and participating as much as possible. This magic formula never failed to promote understanding and appreciation of the demands and sacrifice of Soldier life. Hearing first hand accounts of the Pearl Harbor attack and the Doolittle Raid that followed; walking along the water’s edge at Omaha and Utah Beaches with WWII Soldiers who stormed the shores on June 6, 1944 and accompanying paratroopers to towns like Sainte Mere-Elise where they parachuted in the night before; and exploring other memorable accounts such as prisoners-of war considerably deepened my appreciation and admiration for the “Greatest Generation.” Applying the same “Ernie Pyle writing strategy” made all the difference in writing about them.