Pyle, Ernie (Ernest Taylor Pyle), 1900–1945, American journalist, b. Dana, Ind. After working (1923–32) as a reporter, an editor, and an aviation writer, he became managing editor of the Washington Daily News. In 1935 he began writing a column syndicated by the Scripps-Howard chain to about 200 newspapers. Pyle captured America's affection by writing about the lives and hopes of typical citizens. During World War II he served as a war correspondent in Europe, N Africa, and the Pacific. He became the most popular of all correspondents, writing about the experiences of enlisted men rather than about battles or the exploits of officers. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished correspondence in 1944, and the next year he was killed by Japanese machine gun fire on Ie Shima. His columns were reprinted in Ernie Pyle in England (1941), Here Is Your War (1943), Brave Men (1944), Last Chapter (published posthumously, 1946), and Home Country (prewar writing published posthumously, 1947).

Bibliography

See biographies by L. G. Miller (1950) and J. E. Tobin (1997); D. Nichols, ed., Ernie's War (1987).

Pyle, Ernie

orig. Ernest Taylor Pyle

(born Aug. 3, 1900, near Dana, Ind., U.S.—died April 18, 1945, le Shima, Ryukyu Islands) U.S. journalist. Pyle left Indiana University to become a reporter for a small-town newspaper. Later he acquired a roving assignment for the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain; his experiences provided material for a column that appeared in as many as 200 newspapers before World War II. His reporting of the campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and France won a Pulitzer Prize in 1944. He was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire during the Okinawa campaign. Compilations of his columns include Ernie Pyle in England (1941), Brave Men (1944), and Last Chapter (1946).

Pyle, Ernie (Ernest Taylor) (1900–45) journalist; born near Dana, Ind. Leaving college to become a reporter for the La Porte (Ind.) Herald, he held various other jobs, including that of managing editor of the Washington (D.C.) News. In the late 1930s he devoted himself to reporting, especially as a correspondent in Latin America. During World War II he accompanied Allied forces in the invasions of North Africa, Italy, and Normandy, and reported from the front lines with personal stories of soldiers and their lives. His reports, collected in Here Is Your War (1943) and Brave Men (1944), won great popularity and earned him a Pulitzer Prize. Pyle was killed by Japanese gunfire during the U.S. landing on Okinawa and became a national hero.