Ernie Pyle in the American Southwest

Ernie Pyle was different from all the correspondents who went before him or followed him in the combat zones of the world. While others reported on the big picture of troop movements and massive battles, Pyle wrote on the big picture of troop movements and massive battles, Pyle wrote about the fighting soldier and his plight on the front lines.

Richard Melzer does for Ernie Pyle what Ernie Pyle did for thousands of average G.I.s overseas: he describes Pyle's joys and struggles from Ernie's perspective, in candid, straightforward terms. The result is a focused biography, rich in detail and broad in appeal, just as Ernie would have liked it.