Speaking to a new generation

On April 18, 1945, journalist Ernie Pyle was killed by a sniper's bullet on a small island in the Pacific Ocean while covering World War II.\nNow, 58 years later, Pyle's columns are being republished.\nOn the 58th anniversary of Pyle's death, the IU School of Journalism has published his first column on its Web site as part of an effort to honor Pyle's legacy.\nThe school plans to republish three dozen of his columns, at journalism.indiana.edu. The columns will be updated about once or twice a week.\nThe idea to republish Pyle's articles initially occurred in late March when Maggie Balough, a lecturer in the School of Journalism, was listening to coverage of the war in Iraq. She said she has used Pyle's work as an example and an inspiration for herself.\n"Pyle's work still speaks to me. It still speaks directly to those who lived the experiences of World War II," Balough said. "It speaks to those living the experiences of the war in Iraq. It speaks to journalists and aspiring journalists."\nAfter clearing the concept with Trevor Brown, dean of the School of Journalism, the process of selecting columns and overseeing the Web site fell into the hands of Owen Johnson, associate professor of journalism and adjunct professor of history, who is also compiling a book of Pyle's letters. \nJohnson said he felt it would be useful for students to learn about the accomplishments of Pyle, who studied at the University from 1919 until 1923 when he left just short of finishing a journalism degree in order to accept a reporting job. He was later awarded an honorary degree.\n"Many students know there's an Ernie Pyle Hall on campus, but they don't know who Ernie Pyle is," Johnson said. "A friend of mine once heard one of the University's tour guides telling prospective students and their parents that Ernie Pyle Hall was named for a journalism instructor who taught at IU after the war. Some of the parents shook their heads, knowing this wasn't right." \nIn actuality, Pyle spent his time traveling with troops during WWII, vividly describing the sights and conditions of the war in his columns -- serving as a connection between soldiers and their families back home -- until he was killed by a sniper's machine gun bullets on Ie Shima, a small island in the Pacific Ocean. Elmer Carter, who met Pyle while serving with the commandant section of II Corps during the war in North Africa, remembers him fondly.\n"He was very friendly with our section head, Captain Atkins, and liked to spend many an evening just chatting and drinking wine," Carter said. "The captain had a five gallon container of the native wine which Ernie enjoyed. We all looked forward to his visits and to hear his many stories of what he had experienced during that time."\nCarter described Pyle as "a regular guy" and recalled him always seeming to be cold and wearing his army knitted hat. Pyle was with Carter's corps when they were forced to retreat at Kasserine Pass in Tunisia. \nCarter, along with Johnson, said they both feel it is an appropriate time to recognize Pyle and his columns about WWII against the backdrop of the recent war with Iraq. \n"Students will discover that while Pyle supported the troops he wrote about, he also knew (and let his readers know) that much of war is not heroic," Johnson said. "He recognized the enormous destruction it caused." \nIn his first column, "A Dreadful Masterpiece," written on Dec. 30, 1940, before the U.S. entered WWII, Pyle described the awe he felt as he watched the German air attacks on London. \n"For on that night this old, old city -- even though I must bite my tongue in shame for saying it -- was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen," Pyle wrote.\nAlong with the printed versions, visitors to the Web site are able to hear spoken versions of the columns read by Johnson, see photos of Pyle and have the opportunity to add comments of their own. \nPyle's second column, "Killing Is All That Matters," has already been released and explains how servicemen going into battle are changed by the experience. \nAlthough the project was not undertaken with any intention of benefiting the School of Journalism, Johnson said he sees it as a way the school can reach a larger audience and serve the public in more ways than just teaching.\nBalough said she looks forward to having a ready source of Pyle's work accessible to all students and hopes that with enough interest, some of Pyle's non-war-related work could eventually be included on the Web site.\nBalough said Pyle acts as a role model for aspiring journalists -- a trusted and honest reporter.\n"Too much of what is offered as journalism today is a process-driven recitation of official releases," Balough said. "Pyle's devotion to reporting how life looks from the other perspective is what all journalists, electronic or print, should remember"