This time of year I always think of the great World War II correspondent and one of the best all-around American writers I've ever read, and learned a hell of a lot from reading and rereading--Ernie Pyle.
Here's a link to Pyle's greatest piece of writing and what I think is the best short piece of writing you'll find anywhere. Notice how he puts you right there in that terrible, somber scene with just the right details, and makes you feel what those soldiers were feeling when they came upon the body of Captain Waskow. Neither Chekov nor Maupassant good have done it any better. Pyle was truly a great American writer but I'll bet only one out of a thousand even know his name. The sands of time pile up fast.
Right now there's a documentary running on the Documentary Channel about Pyle called FROM TWO MEN AND A WAR. Check it out and learn about a great American writer who has unjustly been mostly forgotten.
Read his essay here: THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN WASKOW BY ERNIE PYLE
Many years since I first read that outstanding piece, Pete. Thanks for the reminder. I noticed that next in the queue of that web site is Bill Mauldin, another nearly forgotten talent who I've long admired.
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