Ernie Pyle Was My Hero

By Renita Menyhert

Ernie Pyle’s writings about Soldiers during World War II were always an inspiration during my career as a feature broadcaster and writer. Full of flavor about “GI” life, I followed Mr. Pyle’s example of accompanying Soldiers during training and participating as much as possible. This magic formula
never failed to promote understanding and appreciation of the demands and sacrifice of Soldier life.

Hearing first hand accounts of the Pearl Harbor attack and the Doolittle Raid that followed; walking along the water’s edge at Omaha and Utah Beaches with WWII Soldiers who stormed the shores on June 6, 1944 and accompanying paratroopers to towns like Sainte Mere-Elise where they parachuted in the night before; and exploring other memorable accounts such as prisoners-of war considerably deepened my appreciation and admiration for the “Greatest Generation.” Applying the same “Ernie Pyle writing strategy” made all the difference in writing about them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469143859

Renita Menyhert

COL. Renita Menyhert, USA, is a retired military feature writer and broadcaster who has contributed to worldwide publications such as Soldier’s Magazine. Menyhert also served as a broadcast journalist for the Armed Forces Network both in the Far East and Europe. Her specialty is human interest features covering soldiers in peacetime and conflicts ranging from World War II to the current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Menyhert has earned a total of 16 broadcast and journalism awards which include two First Place Thomas Jefferson awards for broadcasting and print journalism from the Department of Defense.

Book preview

ERNIE PYLE

WAS MY HERO

RENITA MENYHERT

COPYRIGHT © 2012 BY RENITA MENYHERT.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 01/25/2022

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CONTENTS

A date which will live in infamy

Airman flies into infamous day

Doolittle raider had no idea what he volunteered for

Laughter was the best medicine

Growing up with the ‘Blitz’

The Unknown Holocaust of Kalavryta

Young paratrooper survives on faith

Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen

Before the Longest Day

Battle at La Fière Bridge

Compassionate medic takes over on D-Day

Sons help father return to Omaha Beach

Remembering sights and sounds of D-Day

Annual journey will never end

Pilot ready for D-Day order

Paratrooper lands in first town to be liberated

French town still thankful for liberation

Airborne Soldier led way in Holland invasion

Dutch girl has never forgotten liberators

Infamous surrender reply still remembered

Soldier finds action with 101st

Meet Cover Boy

Souvenirs tell the story

‘David’ Slays ‘Goliath,’ Says ‘No Tanks’

Weak eyes, strong heart provide adventure for young airman

Old Glory signals freedom

All POW wanted was food

Life as a Japanese Prisoner of War

Faith provides hope in Japanese POW camp

Photographer captured World War II through his lens

American ‘cowboys’ rescue priceless horses

Veterans are kings of the burger shop

Yank had it all!

Signposts bring home closer

The Best Army Invention Ever

Bibliography

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Airman flies into infamous day

Albert Brawley remembers waking up that Saturday at Hamilton Field in San Francisco to a beautiful, crisp morning; what pilots call perfect flying weather. Routinely checking the sky came naturally to Brawley as an airman serving in the 38th Reconnaissance (Recon) Squadron. Today was no exception since Brawley’s pilot and squadron commander, Maj. Truman H. London, scheduled an evening flight on a new B-17 bomber (Flying Fortress.)

Brawley spent most of the day preparing the new aircraft for the journey. His job as aerial radio operator was to report the aircraft’s position on long flights to the pilot and home station. While he anticipated the trip to be a routine mission, it would turn out to be anything but routine. The flight was scheduled to last 15 hours leaving at 6 p.m. for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The date was Dec. 6, 1941.

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The Officers and crews of the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron began delivering B17 aircraft to Hawaii in May 1941. When planes were detected by radar in the early

morning of Dec. 7, 1941, it was believed to be the expected arrival of the B17s.

Eight years earlier, Brawley, a native of Manchester, Tennessee and victim of the Great Depression, rambled from state to state looking for work. When he reached San Antonio, Texas he saw a highway sign reading, The Army wants 120 men, and decided to give it a try.

I began at Fort Sam Houston with the 9th Infantry Division, but didn’t really care for all that walking so I transferred to the 2nd Signal Company acquiring some basic communication training, said Brawley.

When his three-year enlistment ended Brawley returned to Tennessee, but work was still scarce. He spent the next four months delivering groceries for a dollar a day. When an old Army friend showed up and proposed going to Mississippi to set up a welding shop, Brawley tagged along.

Once again, frustration over the lack of business prompted Brawley to leave and hitchhike to New Orleans. But there wasn’t any change in my luck there either, Brawley recalled, so I went to a recruiting office and joined up again.

Brawley’s next assignment found him at Fort Amador in Panama involved in communication integrated with anti-aircraft intelligence. While the work and pay were steady, Brawley decided once again the ground forces weren’t for him. He eventually headed for Los Angeles to join the Army Air Corps and was assigned to the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron at March Field, Calif. Throughout the next few years, Brawley attended various types of communications schools including radio operations, repair and radar.

In May 1941, Brawley and London’s unit was assigned the task of picking up new B-17 bombers from the Boeing plant. This operation required London’s crew to perform several training missions consisting of long hours in the air to obtain flight information and assist the 19th Bomb Group in delivering the planes to Hawaii. After arrival, they were distributed among various squadrons with some aircraft sent to the Philippines.

The usual flight time to Hawaii was around 15 hours and then we’d return home by boat which took about four days, Brawley added.

On the night of Dec. 6, 16 B-17 planes gathered at Hamilton Field; eight crews from the 38th and 88th Recon. Four bombers had engine trouble mandating two be left behind and two others turn back before flying halfway.

That left 12 of us. After losing those planes I thought the rest of the trip would be another typical boring flight. Never did I get the feeling or anticipate anything bad was about to happen, Brawley said.

The squadrons came flying in just after sunup on the north side of the island. Brawley was looking to the left at a carrier and saw what appeared to be a dog fight in progress close to the ship. Somebody said ‘oh the Navy and Army are going at it already.’ The next thing I knew this fighter pealed off and came after us. The B-17 was faster than carrier based fighter planes so we had no trouble outrunning them.

When Brawley’s aircraft flew over Hickam Air Base on its recognition approach, there was no doubt as to what was happening. Anti-aircraft shells began bursting right above the B-17 prompting London to quickly maneuver his plane away from the firing. Using what was commonly called a command set to contact the tower, London received an initial set of landing instructions, but then lost all contact.

We quickly landed and somebody at the far end of the runway waved us in and pointed to the underbrush, Brawley said. The door was jerked open with the yell ‘the Japs are attacking!’ and everybody began piling out. Maj. London was dutifully completing paper work, but now promptly dropped the forms and we all ran for cover. This was the moment when I really learned to appreciate a pick and shovel because it was impossible to dig a hole in coral rock with your bare hands.

Hearing the planes thundering over him, Brawley squatted down, making himself as small as possible. The raid lasted almost 10 to 15 minutes in each wave and decades later, Brawley swears it was one of the most terrifying moments he’s ever known. I just crouched there, praying I couldn’t be seen or a bomb didn’t land right on me.

After the first wave, London believed the strike was over and ordered Brawley and the rest of the crew back to the aircraft to drop the bomb bay tanks and load bombs for possible counter attack. Waving down a gasoline truck, Brawley grabbed the hose and started filling the wing tank with fuel.

Just then a Japanese plane came right out of the air and I heard this ‘tap, tap, tap, tap.’ We dived back into the underbrush and this time we didn’t come out until we were sure it was over.

In the confusion and catastrophe that followed, Brawley and other servicemen began cleaning up the runway including one of the 38th planes that landed before Brawley’s and was now burning in half. Among the casualties on this particular aircraft was the squadron flight surgeon killed while running down the flight line. It wasn’t until long after dark, Brawley and the remaining Pearl Harbor survivors were allowed a brief rest. Now, they could take a moment to ponder the disastrous event that propelled America into World War II.

The last thing I expected that morning was to fly into the Japanese attacking Pearl Harbor, said Brawley, reflecting back on that infamous day. When something like this happens, you automatically perform like you have in training. This is where all the drills take over and it’s what helps you keep your composure. You have a job to do and you simply do it.

Brawley remembered Soldiers talking among themselves and speculating as to what would happen next. Even though hours had passed since the Japanese strike, just looking at the extensive damage left them feeling a devastation they’d never known. We all knew the Japanese were building up their forces, we knew there was always the chance something might happen because they were so aggressive with other countries. Pearl Harbor justifiably heightened our awareness of how vulnerable we really were.

Brawley stayed in Pearl Harbor after the attack, serving there until the following July. He then moved down to the South Pacific with the 11th Bomb Group, island hopping with the unit on the way up to Guadalcanal. From there he received orders to Fort Monmouth, N.J. for Signal Corps Officer Candidate School (OCS) graduating in March 1943.

By the time I left Pearl Harbor in the summer of 42, most of the damage was cleaned up and the ships were back in service. The only exception was the Arizona and an old tub used as a target vessel not considered worth salvaging, said Brawley.

Despite the horrors of Pearl Harbor, Brawley decided to continue his Air Force career. He returned to Hawaii after his retirement in 1953 and has continued pilgrimages there for Pearl Harbor memorial services ever since. He also became involved with Pearl Harbor veterans after joining the 11th Bomb Group Association and participating in their 50th anniversary ceremony of the attack.

The unit made a plaque and installed it right there at the flag pole. It lists the personnel assigned to them killed that morning, said Brawley.

The need to continue his journeys to Pearl Harbor is not an emotion Brawley can explain, just that it’s always with him. He believes it’s helped to talk with other Pearl Harbor veterans and put the Japanese strike in perspective. Brawley also feels it’s important to remember and pay respects to those who died.

And while I still sense bitterness among some veterans, I feel there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s like beating a dead cat so I’ve tried to put it behind me, Brawley added.

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Albert Brawley literally flew into the attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. (photographs provided by Albert Brawley)

The passing of years may have dimmed the memory of exactly what happened during the Pearl Harbor bombing for Brawley, but the individual events remain as sharp as ever. And as for anyone today thinking nothing like that could ever happen to them, Brawley simply says, Neither did we.

Doolittle raider had no idea

what he volunteered for

Slowly, 2nd Lt. Harry McCool roused himself from a fitful sleep. It seemed

surreal just hours ago he bailed out with the rest of his B-25 aircraft crew in a ferocious rain storm. As he struggled to understand his situation, McCool realized he was lying on a Chinese mountainside. He found himself grateful he listened to his inner voice telling him not to move until daylight.

I also think that’s when I felt the worst because I was now 24-years-old and there wasn’t a soul around to wish me happy birthday, let alone help me celebrate, added McCool.

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First Lieutenant Harry McCool (far left) served as navigator for Doolittle Raider

Crew number four. He celebrated his 24th birthday the day after the Tokyo raid.

Following the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941, McCool was serving as a navigator in the 17th Bombardment Group in Columbia, S.C. When the call came for volunteers for a special but highly dangerous mission, McCool says there was only one reaction.

At that time everybody was either delighted or eagerly looking forward to a chance to strike at the Germans or Japanese. And the idea of doing that and coming home to brag about it appealed to everyone, McCool said laughing. So, they had more volunteers than they needed. Since there weren’t that many navigators, I was a safe bet to go.

Although he had no idea what he’d volunteered for, McCool began training at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. on Feb. 28, 1942. Twenty-four crews assigned to B-25 bomber planes practiced low-level and rooftop bombing, navigation and the most critical, short field take-offs.

Two distinct modifications were made to the planes to ensure a successful mission that can only be described as GI ingenuity at its best. They included a twenty-cent bomb sight to simplify low altitude bombing and wooden broomsticks simulating 50 caliber guns mounted from the tail to discourage rear enemy attacks.

In addition to the continuous training, McCool and the rest of the airmen were subjected to numerous inoculations for protection against various diseases. While many did not care for the injections, the young navigator was able to laugh at this particular inconvenience. I remember everyone lining up for the medics on the flight line. But I’m a masochist. I like shots, said McCool chuckling.

Following the training in Florida, the B-25s were flown to San Francisco and loaded aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Hornet. The ship sailed on April 2 and a few days later, Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, mission commander and Capt. Marc Mitscher, skipper of the Hornet, shared the destination and details about the secret mission.

When informed the orders were to bomb Tokyo, cheers erupted throughout the ship. A song from the movie Snow White followed, but with significantly different words.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, We’re off to Tokyo, We’ll bomb and blast and come back fast, Hi Ho, Hi Ho.

McCool listened intently as Doolittle explained the mission. Simply put, the raiders would launch their B-25s from the Hornet, hopefully within four or five hundred miles of the Japanese coast. After bombing specified targets, the crews would then fly the B-25s to China so the aircraft could operate in future missions. The B-25 was selected because of its cruising range of 2,400 miles and bomb loads of 2,000 pounds.

McCool suddenly found himself a hero. The ensigns I slept with immediately offered to exchange their bunks for my cot. But the biggest gesture they made was to bring out some stocked whiskey and make a toast to success for our forthcoming mission, said McCool.

McCool also speaks of the gallant camaraderie shown by his two Navy roommates when they presented him with a specially made gangster type shoulder holster that could fit more easily in the plane and bail out with if necessary. It was a gift McCool still has and treasures to this day.

McCool’s wife, Laverne, was pregnant at the time of his departure and according to his calculations his son should have been born on or around April 14. When

McCool arrived in Calcutta nearly two months later, he wired home he was safe and requested the name of the