Plans continue to advance for a proposed Ernie Pyle Memorial and Veterans Park in Dana, Indiana. Becky Holbert volunteers at the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in Dana. She notes Pyle was a distinguished correspondent during the war who had a unique ability telling stories….
{AUDIO: “He didn’t want to interview the officers. He often imbedded with the infantry, and where they went – he went. When they suffered – Ernie suffered. And he saw what they went through first-hand – mentally, physically, emotionally.”}
The famed reporter addressed Congress on one of his trips back home from the front. And his message still impacts today’s military…
{AUDIO: “He suggested to Congress, he shared what our troops went through and how it took a toll on them. And he suggested to Congress that our fighting men – because they were all men in World War II primarily in combat – that our fighting men get fight pay. Congress listened, and they passed what they called The Ernie Pyle Bill. And since that time all U. S. Troops – even today – who are deployed in a combat zone, have earned combat pay because of a farm boy from Dana, Indiana.”
Pyle was killed April 18, 1944 while reporting in the Pacific.
The Ernie Pyle Memorial and Veterans Park is designed to not only keep Pyle’s memory alive but honor all veterans….
{AUDIO: “It’ll be on our museum grounds in Dana, Indiana. The park will provide outdoor education about Ernie Pyle, and it will be a tribute to our Veterans. We will have a wonderful flag display. Eventually it will have an amphitheater and outdoor theatre and stage area.”}
If you would like to help with the project, more information can be found at www.erniepyle.org.
Pyle received a Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for his distinguished reporting of the war.
