SOURCE: "The Guy the G.I.s Loved (Ernie Pyle's War)," in This Was Your War: An Anthology of Great Writings from World War II, edited by Frank Brookhouser, Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1960, pp. 434-41.

In the following essay, originally published in 1944, the writer argues that Pyle's success at capturing the often mundane realities of war sprang from his own averageness.

From Hollywood: I had a long talk last night with Chris Cunningham of the United Press, who was with Ernie in England and North Africa. He is here advising the United Artists studios on the production of a movie based on Pyle's book, Here Is Your War. He says that the studio is sticking faithfully to Ernie's stipulation that the picture must be dedicated to the infantry and tell a true story of the G.I.s. But the movie will be full of Ernie. And it will...