Editing Ernie Pyle (section)

==Popularity==
Pyle was well known and popular among the American military.<ref name=JohnsonHays48>Johnson and Hays, page 48.</ref> According to Sergeant Mack Morris, whose essay appeared in the U.S. army's weekly newspaper, ''[[Yank, the Army Weekly|Yank]]'': "The secret of Ernie's tremendous success and popularity, if there is any secret about it, is his ability to report a war on a personal plane."<ref name=JohnsonHays53>Johnson and Hays, page 53.</ref> Artist [[George Biddle]] wrote of how a battalion commander told him that Pyle was a poor writer, but was very popular because "he writes about and writes to the great, anonymous American average. They ... are thirsty for recognition and publicity".<ref name="fussell1989">{{Cite book |title=Wartime: Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War |author=Paul Fussell |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1989 |isbn=0-19-503797-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/wartimeunderstan00paul/page/155 155–56] |lccn=89002875 |url=https://archive.org/details/wartimeunderstan00paul/page/155}}</ref>

Pyle's newspaper columns were popular in the United States with readers in a wide range of ages from older readers to high school and college students. In November 1942 Pyle's columns were distributed to 42 newspapers, but the number had increased to 122 newspapers by April 1943. When he returned to the United States for a break during the war, reporters and photographers made increasing demands for his time. In 1943 Pyle also gave interviews on radio programs to help sell war bonds.<ref>Boomhower, ''The Soldier's Friend'', pages 70, 72–73.</ref> At the time of Pyle's death his columns appeared in 400 daily and 300 weekly newspapers.<ref name=BoomhowerTraces30-31/>