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I IBy By JACK LAIT LAITPinch LAITPinch LAITPinch ( Pinch Hitting this tlull week lor lorWalter to fotWalter : Walter WaIter Wiachell Wlncbell Winchel ! ) ) Memo from Manhattan Manhattan- ManhattanWith ManhattanWith - With my .on on son . on , paratrooperowarl paratrooper-Wax9 paratrooper Wax9 paratrooperowarlcorrespondent paratrooperWax9correspondent paratrooper , - wancorrespondent correspondent George Lalt Lait I saw a aprivate aprivate aprivate private projection of ot The Story ot of ofGI ofGI , , GI Joe 10e which then had bad not yet yetopened yetopened yet-opened yet opened - opened In \ Isew 1\ew 1 ew lew York This Is a fllml fllmlcentered film filmcentered fllmicentered centered around some Borne of the famous famousactivItles famousactivities famousactivities activItles activities of Ernie Pyla Pyle We both both1 both1have bothjhave ' have a sentimental Interest In Irnle Ernie : ErnieI I II I knew him when he was an Incon Inconsplcuous inconspicuous Inconsplcuous splcuous spicuous desk drudge on a Washing WashingI Washington Washington I ' Washing'I 'I I ton newspaper a nice little guy whogave whogave who whogave gave no Indication of the immortality Immortal Ity liw : he ho was ttcia to tfl attain nftaln In tn our nnr ImmortalI profes professlon profesI profession nrotea I t tslon I slon sion . . But George knew him morel more1 more1Intimately morejIntimately Intimately than he . knows 1.nows 1nows big his broth brother brother brother er They crossed together In a tlnYI tlnYItub tiny tinytub ; ] tub to Lisbon Llshon flew from there to toLondon toLondon London tOILondon shared a little flat during duringthe duringthe duringthe tOI the murderous blitz They went to- to together together to together - - gether to Africa and shared tents tents tentsJeeps , , jeeps and foxholes during the adversitles ad I | verslttea versltles versitles of the British defeat deteat and andretreat andretreat andretreat * the triumphs trinnipha of ofthe 1 1the retreat and through the otjlthe allies from El EI Alamein Alameln Alametu to con conquest conquest conquest otjl quest of the desert and the Meill Mcdi Meillterranean Medlterranean MedlterraneanThey Mcditerranean terranean terraneanThey They wire were sid side ( Ida . by slds ild ( Id * . 11'1 111 In 11'1Sicily InSicIly InSicily ' Sicily and In Italy George had hadcaught hadcaught hadcaught caught malaria In the desert and andcame andcame andcame came back here for a spell of ofrest ofrest rest . . After that he went through throughcampa throughcampa throughcampa campa gns In New Guinea Sal Salpan Salpan Salpan pan through the bitter fight ng ngon ngon ngon on Leyte He made battle Jumps Jumpswith Jumpswith Jumpswith with the Eleventh Airborne DI Dl DIvision Dlvision Dlvision vision and was about to go 01'1 011 on 01'1to onto onto ' to Luzon Luxon when the malaria malariacaught malariaCaught malariacaught caught up with h Ix m again Gen GenMacArthur GenMacArthur GenMacArthur MacArthur ordered him flown flownback flownback flownback back on sick leave Meanwhile MeanwhileErnie MeanwhileErnIe MeanwhileEmit Ernie Pyle had come home to torest torest torest rest and recuperate at hI his house houseIn houseIn houseIn In Albuquerque N M MI MI MI I met George at my Beverly mlls Hills mllsretreat Hillsretreat Hillsretreat retreat the day after he landed In InSan InSan InSan San ' Francisco I'ranclsco Iranclsco and while we were werethere werethere werethere there : Ernie Irnle visited us He was now nowon nowon nowon on his way to cover the fighting In Inthe inthe inthe the Pacific By tlls tl Is time he was wasthe wasthe wasthe the most widely syndicated Sjndlcated s1ndicated reporter reporterIn In the world the only man In my myknowledge myknowledge myknowledge knowledge who ever had both the thetop thetop thetop top best sellers on the book hook market marketat marketat marketat at once and he could have com corn commanded cornmanded cornmanded manded princely prices to lecture lecturewrite lecturewrite lecturewrite write for magazines or take ta1.e ta1e . any of ofa ofa ofa a score of broadcasting offers offersGeorge ottersGeorge offersGeorge George who had been , through plenty plentywith plentywith plentywith with him told him he was bound boundfor boundfor boundfor for stuff much worse and more dan dangerous dangerous dangerous gerous than he had bad ever known knownGeorge knownGeorge knownGeorge George pointed out to him his sltua situa sltuation situation situatlon tion on top ot of o the world and liter Uter literally Uterally literally ally begged him not to go Butl Butt ButlIrnle ButtErnie ButErnie [ Irnle Ernie : said the very fact that he be had hadhulItO hadbullt'up hadbulltup hadbuiltup hulItO hulItOup builtup ' up so large a following was a amandate amandate amandate mandate and an obligation he hecouldn hecouldn hecouldnt couldn t quit In the middle he be had hadI had1 hada had1a had'a hada I ' a hunch he be would never come back backbut back , , , but he Insisted he should go onErnie onErnie on onErnie Ernie was a light slight chap chapwho chapwho chapwho who was always cold-wore cold wore cold - wore two twoI twoLu twoEU I > Lu U ts of long heavy flannel un underwear Unclerwear underwear derwear clerwear dur ng the earlier cam campa campa campa pa gns As we shook hands handsw w th him and he started off on onthe onthe onthe the journey from which whlch he was wasnever wasnever wasnever never to return he ehucl chuckled < led and andI andsaid andeaid I > said aid to George Anyway fellow fellowdown , down there , I won t freeze toI todeath todeath to I , death deathI I ' " , ' "Tha Tha "The The " Story of Gl GI Joe takes him himonly himonly himonly only as far as his turning to the theroad theroad theroad road to Eome Rome Burgess BUrges9 MeredIth MeredIthwho Meredithwho Meredithwho who gives an uncanny personlflca personifica personlflcation personification personlficatlon tion stud ed under George GeorJe : and andothers andothers andothers others who kne v : Ernie Irnle well weJl and andacquired andacquired andacquired acquired his little Intimate manner mannerIsms mannerjams mannerIsms Isms jams makes ma1.es ma1es . even those who knew knewPyle knewPyle knewPyle Pyle think he looks like him himBLt himBit himEi-t himEi t BLt Bit - though he Is a star and playing playinga ' a greater one GI Joe Is the hero- hero herocollectIvelj herocollectivel3Of hero herocollective - - collectIvelj collectIveljot collectivel3-Of collectivel3 Of collective ! ; -ot ot - of this brave ! film 11m I IcalI Icall Icall calI call It brave because Lester Cowan Cowanput Cowanput Cowanput put two and a half haif million dollars dollarsInto dollarsinto dollarsInto Into It though he had bad pledged Irnle Ernie Irnlenot Ernienot : Ernienot not to gloriti glorlfj glorif3 him gave ga\e ga e gase \ his princ prlnc pninc palcharacter pal palchnracter palcharacter chnracter character no suggestion of any sort sortof sortof sortof of romance and contracted to let letErnie letErnie letErnie Ernie tl tJ row out any scenes he didn dldn t tl11.e tlike tlike l11.e l11e like . He did disc discard anI se seseri seveni er'1.1 er1.1 er11 ' . ! which whichwere whichwere whichwere were quite costly beciuse bec'1use bec1use ' tl tJ ti ey made madetoo madetoo madetoo too much of ot him and too little of ofthe ofthe ofthe the men he loved lo\ed lo ed losed \ and who loved lovedhim lovedhim lovedhim lovedhimPerhaps him himPerhaps Perhaps It was this spirit and andfacultv andfaculty andfaculty facultv faculty that lifted : Ernie Irnle Pyle above abovejany aboveany aboveany | any other I leporter eporter ieporter of his generation generationHe generation'He generationHe jany ' He \ wis isis 1.S 1S ' . a selfeffaclng self effacing little fellou fello'e felloe fellounot fellownot fello'enot ' not physlcilly physlc'1lly physlc1lly physIcally ' brave bra\e bra e brase \ who s\\eated s eated s'eeated seeated seatedand s'eeatedand sweatedand \ ' and shuddered during dnrlng action butwI butid but butwlo wI id wlo 0 o not only ne\ ne nes never neer \ er duel duct dueled ed It but butwent butwent butwent went weary nnd and woebegone to see seqk seqkit seekIt ! . It it . . Geol Geoige ge tells me that during duringthe duringthe duringthe the nightly 1\ 1 \ 1azl I.azI IazI . azl raids on London LondonPyle LondonPyle LondonPyle Pyle would be panic punic stricken-yet stricken yet strickenyethe strickenyetbe stricken - yethe he be \ was ssas as the first tlrst one at his 13 tpe tpewriter tipcwriter pe pewriter writer \ when sshen hen It stopped He had hada hada a lot of resistance as many wiry wirylittle wirylittle wirylittle little men have With the kind kindof kindof kindof of stuff he wrote he could have havealmost havealmost havealmost almost as \ well siell ell won wori worl ed ad miles mlIes back backof backof backof of the front tront . . But the tlle reporter In Inhim Inhim Inhim him drove him right to where things things'eeoc thingsvveie 'eeoc eeoc \ ' el e thickestAfter thickest . . After many long yeara years at llt every everyangle everyangle everyangle angle of the business I am scarcely scarcelya scarcelyII II a starry e eJed ed cd worshiper of n a man mansin mansin mausla sin ply becal becat se 1 I e does a II newspaper newspaperjob newspaperjob newspaperjob job u 'e e ' well ell cli Devoting all alI n a ny y space spacethis spaceI I this \ ' week 'eeek eeek eel . to Lrnie Lrnle Pyle makes the thefirst thefirst thefirst first tI tine ne I h'1\ h'1 h1 his hive h'1e ' \ e dOl doi doie e that since sinceoO ,0 0 . , . .0 0 . ye Irs > rs ago tlls tl ti Is week I 1 wrote an anI anobituary anobituary anI I obituary tribute on Paul.rmstrong Paulrmstrong Paul \.rmstrong .rmstrong \rmstrong rmstrong \ . \ Yrmstrongwl .rmstrongwI rmstrongWI wI o 0 was wCS tl tI Ii e ex ict antithesis of ot the theDan theman theman /Dan Dan man / I 1 deal eal ealIth \ ' with \\Ith Ith 'eith eith \ here ' rhat l'hat lhat be bc Ir ira iraout iraout out a 11 theory which has long seemed1sound seemed seemedI I 1sound sound to me-a me a roc - - a man is Judged In tho the thoI thodIrect thedirect I 1 1direct I dIrect ratio of what he accomllIshe aceomiiShea aceomiiSheaLO accomi lisheito ! to LO what he attci attel attei pta pts pie " ' |