Another long travel day, but we’re all home safe. That’s all to report for now – but I might post a bit more of a wrap-up of the entire trip tomorrow.
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- Patrick J. Kelly (Viet Nam era Sgt. of Marines)
I was on the island of Ie Jima, and my squad came upon a small clearing in the tall grass. In the center of this unusually well-kept clearing was a stone obelisk. Upon closer examination, we saw the following inscription:
On this spot on April —, 1945 the —-st Division Lost a Buddy: Ernie Pyle.
It was simple and to the point, and at the same time broke your heart. I would venture a guess that Ernie Pyle would have loved its simplicity. I’m sorry for not remembering the date or unit. I do know a sniper got him and he died instantly.
I visited Paris in the early 90’s and on the flight from NY to Paris one of the French flight attendants made an announcement. There were a number of WWII vets on the plane to Paris to celebrate the 50 year liberation of Paris. The whole plane applauded for them! It was truly a sight to see. These gentlemen soldiers, with their WWII veteran caps on, took all the excitment with such grace.
My dad always talked about Ernie Pyle, almost like he knew him. I was excited to see you take the trip and follow Ernie’s footsteps.