SOURCE: "San Pietro and the 'Art' of War," in Southwest Review, Vol. 24, No. 3, Spring, 1989, pp. 230-256.

In the following essay, Bertelsen discusses the literary and cinematic influences of Pyle's "The Death of Captain Waskow, " and parallels similarities between Pyle's piece and John Huston's war film San Pietro.

"In this war I have known a lot of officers who were loved and respected by the soldiers under them. But never have I crossed the trail of any man as beloved as Capt. Henry T. Waskow of Belton, Texas." So begins Ernie Pyle's most famous World War II dispatch, "The Death of Captain Waskow"—a piece that describes the reactions of troops from the 36th "Texas" Division to the death of a young officer during the Italian campaign of 1943-44.

Pyle, the renowned American war journalist, had joined the 36th near the end of the battle for San Pietro Infine...