Omar Bradley Biography
More than sixteen million citizens served in the U.S. military during World War II. About eleven million were in the army while the rest served in the navy and marines.
People relied heavily on newspapers for information during World War II. One of the most widely read journalists was Ernie Pyle. During the fighting in Sicily (1943), General Eisenhower told Pyle to “go discover Bradley.” After meeting Bradley, Pyle wrote a lot about the Missouri general. He was especially impressed by the attention Bradley paid to the care and treatment of his soldiers. Pyle praised him as the “soldier's general.”* That is the nickname Bradley has been known by ever since.
Bradley and Pyle became good friends. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the general invited the correspondent aboard the warship Augusta to observe the landing. Later in the war, Pyle was killed during a battle. He was mourned by the millions who read his reports on the war and by his friend Omar Bradley.
Some writers transformed Pyle's label for Bradley into “the GI's General.” During World War II, however, the initials “GI” were not used to stand for an American soldier. Rather, “GI” was an abbreviation for government issue or general issue.
Unless otherwise noted, © The State Historical Society of Missouri
