Robert Leckie (author)
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Robert Leckie
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Nickname(s) | "Lucky" |
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
December 18, 1920
Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/ |
United States Marine Corps |
Years of service | 1942–1945 |
Rank | Private First Class |
Unit | How Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Purple Heart Navy Commendation Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device |
Other work | Writer |
Robert Leckie (December 18, 1920 – December 24, 2001) was an American author of books on United States military history, fiction, autobiography and children's books. As a young man, he served in the Marine Corps with the 1st Marine Division during World War II. His service as a machine gunner and a scout in the war greatly influenced his work.
Contents
Early life and career
Leckie was born on December 18, 1920, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a family of eight children. He grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey. He began his career as a writer in high school, as a sports writer for The Bergen Evening Record in Hackensack, New Jersey.[1]
On January 18, 1942, Leckie enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.[1] He served in combat in the Pacific theater, as a scout and a machine gunner in H (How) Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division (H/2/1). Leckie saw combat in the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of Cape Gloucester, and was wounded by blast concussion in the Battle of Peleliu. Due to his wounds, he was evacuated to an Army field hospital on the Pavuvu Islands. He returned to the United States in March 1945 and was honorably discharged shortly thereafter.[2]
Following World War II, Leckie worked as a reporter for the Associated Press, the Buffalo Courier-Express, the New York Journal American, the New York Daily News and The Star-Ledger.[1] He married Vera Keller, a childhood neighbor, and they had three children: David, Geoff and Joan.[3] According to Vera, in 1951 he was inspired to write a memoir after seeing South Pacific on Broadway and walking out halfway through. He said "I have to tell the story of how it really was. I have to let people know the war wasn't a musical."[4] His first and best-selling book, Helmet for My Pillow, a war memoir, was published in 1957.[5] Leckie subsequently wrote more than 40 books on American war history, spanning from the French and Indian War (1754–1763) to Desert Storm (1991).[6]
Robert Leckie died on December 24, 2001, after fighting a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. He was survived by his wife of 55 years, his three children, two sisters and six grandchildren. His remains were entombed at St. Joseph's Mausoleum in Newton, New Jersey.[7][8]
Leckie's war memoirs, Helmet for My Pillow, along with Eugene B. Sledge's book With the Old Breed, formed the basis for the 2010 HBO series The Pacific, the follow-on series to Band of Brothers. He was portrayed in the miniseries by James Badge Dale and Vera was portrayed by Caroline Dhavernas.
Books
Military history
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Autobiography
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Belles Lettres
- These Are My Heroes: A Study of the Saints
- Warfare: A Study of War
- A Soldier-Priest Talks to Youth
Fiction
- Ordained
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- The Bloodborn
- Forged in Blood
- Blood of the Seventeen Fires
Younger readers
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- The Story of World War Two
- The Story of World War One
- The War in Korea
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- The World Turned Upside-Down
- 1812: The War Nobody Won
- The Big Game
- Keeper Play
- Stormy Voyage
'According to World Catalogue, Ref: http://www.worldcat.org/title/secret-mission-to-alaska/oclc/7712193&referer=brief_results Robert Leckie, writing as 'Roger Barlow' also wrote six juvenile boy adventure books called "The Sandy Steele" series, three available at Gutenberg.org' Ref: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/45761
Awards and decorations
Leckie was entitled to campaign participation credit ("battle stars") for Guadalcanal-Tulagi Landings, Capture and Defense of Guadalcanal, Eastern New Guinea Operations, Cape Gloucester New Britain, and Capture and Occupation of the Southern Palau Islands (Peleliu).
Medals and ribbons
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Leckie Biography, All Media Guide.
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- ↑ Booknotes, Okinawa: The Last Battle of World War II, Transcript of Interview with Robert Leckie, 3 September 1995
- ↑ Interview with Brian Lamb, 1995.
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References
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External links
- Robert Leckie as remembered by fellow H-Company Marine Sidney Phillips
- Historical interview footage of Robert Leckie
- Interview with Leckie on Okinawa: The Last Battle of World War II, Booknotes, September 3, 1995
- Robert Leckie at the Internet Movie Database
- 1920 births
- 2001 deaths
- United States Marines
- American military personnel of World War II
- American military historians
- American male writers
- American people of Irish descent
- Historians of the American Civil War
- Korean War historians
- World War II historians
- Recipients of the Purple Heart medal
- People from Rutherford, New Jersey