This close-up photograph shows the inscription on the Ernie Pyle memorial at Ie Shima: 'At this spot the 77th Infantry Division lost a buddy, Ernie Pyle, 18 April 1945.' Pyle, one of the most widely read American war correspondents of World War II, was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire while accompanying the 77th Infantry Division during the Ie Shima operation, part of the larger Okinawa campaign. His death was mourned nationwide, and this simple monument was erected by the soldiers who considered him one of their own. Project: 218478