Press Releases

(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. (IN-08) released the following statement after introducing legislation to memorialize a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and Hoosier hero by designating the U.S. Post Office located in Dana, Indiana as the Ernest ‘Ernie’ T. Pyle Post Office:

“The art of storytelling ensures that history is remembered. It ensures the good times are celebrated and the bad times are never repeated. Ernie Pyle answered the call to tell the stories of America’s fighting men and women on the front lines during World War II. In an age when the average American had limited access to news, Ernie Pyle risked, and ultimately gave his own life to ensure that Americans knew the stories of sacrifice and hardships our fighting men and women endured.

“I am pleased to introduce this bill with the support of the entire Indiana House delegation. Dedicating this U.S. Post Office in the memory of this American hero and Hoosier will help ensure his story and his legacy live on.”

Background

·       Ernest “Ernie” Taylor Pyle was born on August 3, 1900, near Dana, Indiana to Maria and William Clyde Pyle.
·       Beginning in 1942, Pyle began reporting from the front lines of both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of war, from where he brought the experiences and stories of the everyday soldier back home to America.
·       Throughout the course of the war, Pyle was on the frontlines in battles ranging from Anzio in Italy, to the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, to Okinawa in the Pacific.
·       On April 18, 1945, Pyle was reporting on the U.S. Army’s 305^th Infantry Regiment on the island of Iejima when he was killed by Japanese gunfire.
·       Pyle was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for journalism for his war correspondence, as well as the Medal for Merit and the Purple Heart posthumously.