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Writer James Tobin

James Tobin is the author of a biography of World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle who was beloved by the public, the G.I.s and the generals alike. He witnessed the great American campaigns of the war — North Africa, Sicily, Italy, D-Day, Normandy, the liberation of Paris, and Okinawa. Eleanor Roosevelt was a fan of his work, saying "I would not miss that column any day if I could possibly help it." Pyle was killed in Okinawa just three weeks short of the war's end. Tobin's book is Ernie Pyle's War: America's Eyewitness to World War II (published in 1988). Tobin's newest book, To Conquer the Air: The Wright Brothers and the Great Race for Flight has just been released in paperback. (Original airdate: 4/07/03) (This interview continues into the second half of the show.)

44:28

Other segments from the episode on May 31, 2004

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, May 31, 2004: Interview with James Tobin; Commentary on language.

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