“We flew at tree top level to our target, and made one quick circle of the area taking about 50 pictures with the Aerial camera, then back down to tree top level to return to base.” (Untitled memoir, page 3)

Ralph Reeves Pyle, Jr.

Ralph Pyle, Korea [1951] War: World War II, 1939-1946; Korean War, 1950-1955 Branch: Army Unit: 834th Anti-aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion, 516th AAA Battery Service Location: Asiatic-Pacific Theater; Camp Haan and Camp Irwin, California; Hawaii; also: Korea Rank: Staff Sergeant; Staff Sergeant Place of Birth: Lynn, IN

A veteran of two wars, Ralph Pyle’s talent for photography was nurtured during World War II. Off-duty weekends would find him snapping celebrities at the Hollywood Canteen. Called back to duty for the Korean War, Pyle was assigned to the Signal Corps as Chief Photographer and soon found himself dodging enemy fire while taking aerial photographs of Chinese positions. He still kept an eye out for VIPs, both in uniform (General Matthew Ridgway) and in celebrity sunglasses (Jack Benny), but also took time to document war’s toll on the children of the Korean peninsula. After taking pictures of the first round of peace talks to end the war, Pyle was released from his duties and allowed to return home to his new bride.