Facts: - death place: westwood , los angeles , california - caption: beirne lay , jr. during usaac flight training - death date: 26 may 1982 - birth date: 1 september 1909 - name: beirne lay , jr. - image: beirne lay.jpg - birth place: berkeley springs , west virginia , us - occupation: author Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of beirne lay , jr. .
The answer to this question is:
beirne lay , jr. , -lrb- september 1 , 1909 - may 26 , 1982 -rrb- was an american author , aviation writer , hollywood screenwriter , and combat veteran of world war ii with the u.s. army air forces .he is best known for his collaboration with sy bartlett in authoring the novel '' twelve o'clock high '' and adapting it into a major film .