Traveling home
The day was long, and everyone was exhausted.
Dana, Indiana, is a .29-square-mile town on the Indiana-Illinois border. It holds 573 inhabitants, three churches, one restaurant and the Ernie Pyle WWII Museum.
As the launching point of our Ernie Pyle and Media Scholar experience, the trip allowed us to meet a humbling image of our namesake. The simple nature of the town combined with the subtle undertone of resilience provides a thought-provoking experience.
Not only is Ernie Pyle’s journey from the Indiana countryside to the nation’s front pages awe-inspiring, but his roots in Dana hold the same resilience and tenacity. In 2011, the museum lost its state historic site status and was in danger of closing. However, the nonprofit group the Friends of Ernie Pyle vowed to preserve the family home and war exhibit.
“You can’t imagine here without it,” said tour guide Janice Duncan. “He was from here, and he belonged here. (The people of Dana) want to preserve that, because he was such a fantastic writer.”
The trip had a profound effect on my view of Ernie Pyle and his hometown community. Coming from a heavily populated metropolitan area, I have come to respect the hardships and adversities of rural America that I have not been previously exposed to. Just meeting the volunteers who care so much for preserving Ernie Pyle’s life story and legacy displays the weight and significance of our program.
Fellow scholar Helen Rummel agreed.
“Being able to see how Ernie Pyle was influenced by his upbringing really helps us put a face to the name we hear so much about,” she said.
Lauren McLaughlin added, “It was really breathtaking, because it made me realize how much of a legacy we are sharing and honoring throughout this program.”
The trip left a large impact on our group as we contemplated our experiences riding back to IU in a bright yellow school bus. Not only did the museum teach us about our past role model, but it gave us motivation for our years ahead in journalism.
