Remembrance, Comments on Memorial Day

[solo1]

I belong to the Association of the United States Army  This month's magazine has a picture and article of a war correspondent from Dana Indiana who died on 18th April, 1945 on the island of Ie Shima, Okinawa.

This modest guy was the GI's and Marines war correspondent. He was in the middle of the action with the privates and non-coms of WWII. He worked for Scripps-Howard Newspaper and brought the every day stories of combat to us, the ones at home.  I do remember when he died. It made the news, back when the media was more trustworthy.

His name? Ernie Pyle.  To Pyle the heros of the war were the 'dogface soldiers'  and the Marines .

On Memorial Day, it's good to remember those who also served by being with the troops in combat.  Ernie was killed by a Japanese sniper while with non-coms of the 77th Infantry Division.

I was a snot nosed kid back during WWII but i do remember Ernie Pyle's columns.  They had a personal touch and brought to life what our Armed Forces, on the lowest level, accomplished.

[pais]

     My Uncle Ray (Mom's brother) lost his life on D-Day morning at the ripe age of 18. Mom spoke of the heartbreak within her entire family. Uncle Ray was the youngest of eleven kids.
     My Father and Uncle Ray ran into each other while in Europe during the build up for D-Day. My Uncle asked Dad who he should name as his beneficiary for his life insurance policy the Gov't. provided. Uncle Ray had ran away and got married to Aunt Genevieve right before shipping out. Dad suggested he should name both his new wife and Mother as beneficiaries. As Dad once told me, "your Mother was your Mother long before that woman was your wife.