Ray E. Boomhower
@rboomhower.bsky.social
Former reporter. Biographer of war correspondents Ernie Pyle, Richard Tregaskis, Malcolm Browne & Robert Sherrod. Writing biography about groundbreaking journalist Wallace H. Terry. https://rayeboomhowerbooks.com/
"What makes journalism so fascinating and biography so interesting [is] the struggle to answer that single question: 'What's he like?'"
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
November 22, 2025 at 8:05 PM
"What makes journalism so fascinating and biography so interesting [is] the struggle to answer that single question: 'What's he like?'"
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
Richard Tregaskis's willingness to go where the action was in WWII impressed one soldier, who told him, “How you guys go ahead and stick out your necks when you don’t have to—well, it just beats hell out of me!” Tregaskis responded: “But we certainly do have to—that’s our job."
November 22, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Richard Tregaskis's willingness to go where the action was in WWII impressed one soldier, who told him, “How you guys go ahead and stick out your necks when you don’t have to—well, it just beats hell out of me!” Tregaskis responded: “But we certainly do have to—that’s our job."
The countdown is on for the annual Indiana Historical Society Holiday Author Fair. More than 60 authors, including yours truly, will be offering great books from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis.
November 22, 2025 at 7:07 PM
The countdown is on for the annual Indiana Historical Society Holiday Author Fair. More than 60 authors, including yours truly, will be offering great books from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis.
To commemorate war correspondent Richard Tregaskis’s near-fatal wounding in Italy OTD in 1943, a free copy of my biography about him to the first person to name what magazine he wrote for near the end of World War II.
November 22, 2025 at 3:58 PM
To commemorate war correspondent Richard Tregaskis’s near-fatal wounding in Italy OTD in 1943, a free copy of my biography about him to the first person to name what magazine he wrote for near the end of World War II.
What happened to war correspondent Richard Tregaskis following his severe wounding in Italy on this day in 1943? He was taken to the 38th Evacuation Field Hospital. Major William Pitts had already performed two brain operations before he started on Tregaskis at about two o’clock in the morning.
November 22, 2025 at 3:53 PM
What happened to war correspondent Richard Tregaskis following his severe wounding in Italy on this day in 1943? He was taken to the 38th Evacuation Field Hospital. Major William Pitts had already performed two brain operations before he started on Tregaskis at about two o’clock in the morning.
“A Kennedy speech has to have class.”
Campaigning with Kennedy: John Bartlow Martin and the 1960 Election
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/07/camp...
Campaigning with Kennedy: John Bartlow Martin and the 1960 Election
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/07/camp...
November 22, 2025 at 1:56 PM
“A Kennedy speech has to have class.”
Campaigning with Kennedy: John Bartlow Martin and the 1960 Election
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/07/camp...
Campaigning with Kennedy: John Bartlow Martin and the 1960 Election
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/07/camp...
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
youtu.be/BLmiOEk59n8
youtu.be/BLmiOEk59n8
President Kennedy 1961 Inaugural Address
YouTube video by C-SPAN
youtu.be
November 22, 2025 at 12:52 PM
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
youtu.be/BLmiOEk59n8
youtu.be/BLmiOEk59n8
"Ragtime was my lullaby."
Hoagy Carmichael, born on this day in 1899
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2019/11/some...
Hoagy Carmichael, born on this day in 1899
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2019/11/some...
Sometimes I Wonder: Hoagy Carmichael
On a lazy, hot day in 1927, a young West Palm Peach, Florida, law clerk far from his Indiana home and bored with his chosen profession heard...
rayboomhower.blogspot.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:31 PM
"Ragtime was my lullaby."
Hoagy Carmichael, born on this day in 1899
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2019/11/some...
Hoagy Carmichael, born on this day in 1899
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2019/11/some...
”I did not feel young and eager and confident and hopeful any more. I felt old and without hope, with heart for nothing. It was all gone. and destroyed by blind malevolent chance. That was what hurt the most of all.”
John Bartlow Martin on the assassination of President John Kennedy OTD in 1963
John Bartlow Martin on the assassination of President John Kennedy OTD in 1963
November 22, 2025 at 11:31 AM
”I did not feel young and eager and confident and hopeful any more. I felt old and without hope, with heart for nothing. It was all gone. and destroyed by blind malevolent chance. That was what hurt the most of all.”
John Bartlow Martin on the assassination of President John Kennedy OTD in 1963
John Bartlow Martin on the assassination of President John Kennedy OTD in 1963
"I had no regrets about my own suffering in that war, or the blood I shed in it. I was honored to be in it with men I respected so greatly."
World War II correspondent Richard Tregaskis, wounded in Italy by a German shell on this day in 1943
World War II correspondent Richard Tregaskis, wounded in Italy by a German shell on this day in 1943
November 22, 2025 at 11:24 AM
"I had no regrets about my own suffering in that war, or the blood I shed in it. I was honored to be in it with men I respected so greatly."
World War II correspondent Richard Tregaskis, wounded in Italy by a German shell on this day in 1943
World War II correspondent Richard Tregaskis, wounded in Italy by a German shell on this day in 1943
On this day in 1943 International News Service correspondent Richard Tregakis, covering the action on Mount Corno in Italy, was hit and severely wounded in the head by shrapnel from a German shell, ripping through and out his helmet. He survived.
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2022/10/a-wo...
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2022/10/a-wo...
November 22, 2025 at 11:03 AM
On this day in 1943 International News Service correspondent Richard Tregakis, covering the action on Mount Corno in Italy, was hit and severely wounded in the head by shrapnel from a German shell, ripping through and out his helmet. He survived.
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2022/10/a-wo...
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2022/10/a-wo...
“The first time you experience deep and sustained fear and suspense you think you have learned all about it. Many times later you know that the depth and shape of fear are lessons to be learned slowly, by repetition.”
Keith Wheeler, war correspondent, “Chicago Times,” shot in the throat on Iwo Jima
Keith Wheeler, war correspondent, “Chicago Times,” shot in the throat on Iwo Jima
November 22, 2025 at 2:03 AM
“The first time you experience deep and sustained fear and suspense you think you have learned all about it. Many times later you know that the depth and shape of fear are lessons to be learned slowly, by repetition.”
Keith Wheeler, war correspondent, “Chicago Times,” shot in the throat on Iwo Jima
Keith Wheeler, war correspondent, “Chicago Times,” shot in the throat on Iwo Jima
“You’ve got to say, ‘Who will follow me?’ And if only ten follow you, that’s the best you can do, but it’s better than nothing.”
David Shoup, hero of the Battle of Tarawa
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/10/hoos...
David Shoup, hero of the Battle of Tarawa
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/10/hoos...
November 21, 2025 at 5:56 PM
“You’ve got to say, ‘Who will follow me?’ And if only ten follow you, that’s the best you can do, but it’s better than nothing.”
David Shoup, hero of the Battle of Tarawa
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/10/hoos...
David Shoup, hero of the Battle of Tarawa
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/10/hoos...
War correspondent Robert L. Sherrod went through hell with the Marines during the Battle of Tarawa this month in 1943. He did, however, come out of it with a classic book of war reporting.
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2017/10/writ...
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2017/10/writ...
Writing in Wartime: Robert L. Sherrod and Tarawa
Late in the afternoon of March 7, 1944, Robert L. Sherrod , a reporter who had been covering the war in the Pacific for Time and Life magaz...
rayboomhower.blogspot.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:02 PM
War correspondent Robert L. Sherrod went through hell with the Marines during the Battle of Tarawa this month in 1943. He did, however, come out of it with a classic book of war reporting.
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2017/10/writ...
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2017/10/writ...
One of the most impressive Marines Robert L. Sherrod met during his time in the Pacific was a first lieutenant named William Dean Hawkins, who died OTD in 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa. "If Lieutenant Hawkins had lived a hundred years, he could not have known a fuller life," wrote Sherrod.
November 21, 2025 at 3:57 PM
One of the most impressive Marines Robert L. Sherrod met during his time in the Pacific was a first lieutenant named William Dean Hawkins, who died OTD in 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa. "If Lieutenant Hawkins had lived a hundred years, he could not have known a fuller life," wrote Sherrod.
This week in 1943, "Yank" magazine photographer John A. Bushemi, along with reporter Larry McManus, participated in the invasion of Makin with the 6,500 troops of the 165th Regimental Combat Team of the 27th Infantry Division.
November 21, 2025 at 3:49 PM
This week in 1943, "Yank" magazine photographer John A. Bushemi, along with reporter Larry McManus, participated in the invasion of Makin with the 6,500 troops of the 165th Regimental Combat Team of the 27th Infantry Division.
“Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression. The chasm is never completely bridged. We all have the conviction, perhaps illusory, that we have much more to say than appears on the paper.”
Isaac Bashevis Singer, born on this day in 1904
Isaac Bashevis Singer, born on this day in 1904
November 21, 2025 at 12:27 PM
“Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression. The chasm is never completely bridged. We all have the conviction, perhaps illusory, that we have much more to say than appears on the paper.”
Isaac Bashevis Singer, born on this day in 1904
Isaac Bashevis Singer, born on this day in 1904
On this day in 1943, International News Service reporter Richard Tregaskis (pictured with General Mark Clark), tired of covering political maneuverings in Naples, became free to return to the frontlines in Italy. As he noted, "politics is not my field; I am a war correspondent."
November 21, 2025 at 11:14 AM
On this day in 1943, International News Service reporter Richard Tregaskis (pictured with General Mark Clark), tired of covering political maneuverings in Naples, became free to return to the frontlines in Italy. As he noted, "politics is not my field; I am a war correspondent."
"Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it— hole-heartedly—and delete it before sending your manuscript to press: Murder your darlings."
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, born on this day in 1863
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, born on this day in 1863
November 21, 2025 at 10:57 AM
"Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it— hole-heartedly—and delete it before sending your manuscript to press: Murder your darlings."
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, born on this day in 1863
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, born on this day in 1863
"Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and to make gentle the life of this world.
“Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.”
www.zocalopublicsquare.org/why-mlk-and-...
“Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.”
www.zocalopublicsquare.org/why-mlk-and-...
Why MLK and RFK Are Forever Bound Together in an Indianapolis Park | Essay | Zócalo Public Square
The City of Indianapolis’ Parks and Recreation Department administers the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park at 1702 North Broadway Street on the city’s near
www.zocalopublicsquare.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:12 PM
"Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and to make gentle the life of this world.
“Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.”
www.zocalopublicsquare.org/why-mlk-and-...
“Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.”
www.zocalopublicsquare.org/why-mlk-and-...
"Time" magazine war correspondent Robert L. Sherrod covered such significant battles in the Pacific as the invasions of Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The Battle of Tarawa, however, remained as "the acme of all personal horror."
November 20, 2025 at 3:19 PM
"Time" magazine war correspondent Robert L. Sherrod covered such significant battles in the Pacific as the invasions of Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The Battle of Tarawa, however, remained as "the acme of all personal horror."
“Writing is making sense of life. You work your whole life and perhaps you've made sense of one small area.”
Nadine Gordimer, born on this day in 1923
Nadine Gordimer, born on this day in 1923
November 20, 2025 at 2:23 PM
“Writing is making sense of life. You work your whole life and perhaps you've made sense of one small area.”
Nadine Gordimer, born on this day in 1923
Nadine Gordimer, born on this day in 1923
"The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values."
Norman Thomas
Norman Thomas
November 20, 2025 at 2:23 PM
"The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values."
Norman Thomas
Norman Thomas
“Casualties: many. Percentage dead: not known. Combat efficiency: we are winning.”
Hoosier David Shoup message on this day in 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/10/hoos...
Hoosier David Shoup message on this day in 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/10/hoos...
Hoosier Warrior: Marine General David M. Shoup
Betio, part of the Tarawa Atoll , is a small, bird-shaped island along the equator in the central Pacific. Early in the morning on November ...
rayboomhower.blogspot.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:49 PM
“Casualties: many. Percentage dead: not known. Combat efficiency: we are winning.”
Hoosier David Shoup message on this day in 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/10/hoos...
Hoosier David Shoup message on this day in 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa
rayboomhower.blogspot.com/2020/10/hoos...
“War is a cruel, desperate necessity which calls for courage and suffering. It is too bad, but it is true.” #Tarawa
www.zocalopublicsquare.org/reporter-hel...
www.zocalopublicsquare.org/reporter-hel...
The Reporter Who Helped Persuade FDR to Tell the Truth About War | Essay | Zócalo Public Square
Betio, part of the Tarawa Atoll, is a small, bird-shaped island along the equator in the central Pacific. Early in the morning on November 20, 1943,
www.zocalopublicsquare.org
November 20, 2025 at 1:04 PM
“War is a cruel, desperate necessity which calls for courage and suffering. It is too bad, but it is true.” #Tarawa
www.zocalopublicsquare.org/reporter-hel...
www.zocalopublicsquare.org/reporter-hel...