The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority has approved a matching grant of $50,000 to the Friends of Ernie Pyle for its development of the Ernie Pyle & Veterans Memorial Park.
The matching funds will come from the agency’s CreatINg Places grant program. Donations to the fundraising campaign can be made directly to Patronicity.com/erniepyle, or to the museum’s web page using the Become A Donor link.
The Friends of Ernie Pyle, owner and operator of the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in Dana, Indiana, is undertaking a fundraising campaign to raise its share of the IHCDA grant program. When the local campaign meets its $50,000 goal, that will unlock the CreatINg Places grant match of $50,000. The FEP has 60 days to raise its share of the matching grant.
The funds will go toward further development of the Ernie Pyle & Veterans Memorial Park, which is located on the north side of the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum.
The site expansion project was launched in 2023. Estimated to cost about $1 million, the first phases of the project have been finished and include a beautifully designed plaza featuring a bronze sculpture of Pyle. ADA-accessible restrooms have also been completed and are open to visitors.
Future plans call for construction of a covered performance stage, an educational World War II Victory Garden, a brick-lined walkway with lighting on a grass lawn, a display of flags of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and improvements to the museum entry way.
The fund-raising campaign for this matching grant received a boost when the Wabash River Run organizers, led by state Rep. Tim Yocum, decided to donate its profits toward the project. The kayak & canoe race was delayed due to water levels on the Wabash River to this Saturday, Sept. 12. The race starts in Montezuma and ends in Clinton.
“We’re thrilled at the opportunity to receive $50,000 from the IHCDA and confident our supporters will give us the monetary support to reach our goal and qualify for the matching grant,” said Steve Key, president of the board of the Friends of Ernie Pyle. “We’re also extremely thankful for the support of the Wabash River Run, which will take us a long way toward our fund-raising goal.”
Pyle is a native Hoosier and renowned war correspondent who won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of World War II in Europe and the South Pacific. He was born and raised near the small Vermillion County town of Dana. His birth home is an integral part of the museum complex. He was struck and killed by a Japanese machine-gunner’s bullet in the waning days of the war on the island of Ie Shima near Okinawa.
He also was a successful advocate for “fight pay” for members of the armed services in World War II. Congress passed the “Ernie Pyle Bill” in 1944 to increase the pay for servicemen and women in combat zones by 50 percent. That policy has continued from then to the present so Pyle will be forever tied to the veterans of the United States.
The Ernie Pyle World War II Museum features exhibits highlighting the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist’s life and the war and soldiers he covered as a correspondent. The museum includes the farmhouse where Pyle was born and Quonset huts showcasing memorabilia, films and educational material related to WWII military history, veterans, soldiers, journalism and the daily life of “The Greatest Generation.”
