Ernie Pyle, War Correspondent on Saipan with a Thompson Machine Gun, WW2.

The Picture of Ernie Pyle was taken in Saipan and the weapon was Not his, he was not allow to carry a weapon as a foreign war correspondent.  One of the guys in my Dad's squad handed him with the weapon.  I also hoped you could make out the inscription at the lower right  corner.  If you can not, of course I know it by heart "To Eddie Shaboo   the  greatest little Jap fighter this Seabee Correspondent ever met."  

Ernie Pyle: A Hoosier Childhood   by Bob Bales

Book Description
Ernie Pyle: A Hoosier Childhood is based on the childhood of Ernie Pyle. Never before published photos of the young Ernie Pyle and  his family and relatives add weight to the story's authenticity. Ernie's story teaches us that it is most often the simple things in life that  provide the glue in a community. Values such as honesty, persistence and concern for those less fortunate often bring the greatest honor to a community and true victories, as ever, are won by those have faith, perseverance and hope. A little novel with a great heart, A  Hoosier Childhood is a book for readers interested in the forces that created a great American journalist. 

About the Author
Bob Bales was a B-24 bomber pilot during World War II. Bales organized and operated the Air Force Operational Art Program as the official illustrator to the Air Force. After working for Walt Disney on several major motion pictures, Bob played a key role on the  five-member team responsible for developing Pepperdine's Malibu campus. A Ph.D. in business administration, Bob still considers his  greatest accomplishment to be his Eagle Scout badge. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama.