Author Robert Leckie

Robert Hugh Leckie (December 18, 1920 – December 24, 2001) was a United States Marine and an author of books about the military history of the United States, Catholic history and culture, sports books, fiction books, autobiographies, and children's books.

As a young man, he served with the 1st Marine Division during World War II; his service as a machine gunner and a scout during the war greatly influenced his work.

Robert Leckie
Author Robert Leckie
Nickname(s)"Lucky", "Peaches"
Born(1920-12-18)December 18, 1920
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedDecember 24, 2001(2001-12-24) (aged 81)
Byram Township, New Jersey, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1942–1945
RankPrivate first class
UnitHow Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsPurple Heart
Navy Commendation Medal with "V" Device
Other workWriter

Leckie's war memoir, Helmet for My Pillow, along with Eugene B. Sledge's book With the Old Breed, formed the basis for the HBO series The Pacific (2010), the follow-up series to Band of Brothers. In the miniseries, Leckie is portrayed by James Badge Dale.

Early life and education

Leckie was born on December 18, 1920, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to an Irish Catholic family of eight children. He grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey.

Early career and military service

He began his career as a writer in high school, as a sports writer for The Bergen Evening Record in Hackensack, New Jersey. On January 18, 1942, Leckie enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. 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 Battle of Tenaru and in the Guadalcanal Campaign and the Battle of Cape Gloucester, and he was wounded by a blast concussion in the Battle of Peleliu. Due to his wounds, he was evacuated to an army field hospital in the Russell Islands. He returned to the United States in March 1945 and was honorably discharged shortly thereafter.

Military decorations

Leckie's decorations include:

Author Robert Leckie 
Author Robert Leckie 
Author Robert Leckie  Author Robert Leckie 
1st row Purple Heart Medal
2nd row Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat "V" Navy Combat Action Ribbon Navy Presidential Unit Citation with award star
3rd row American Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three bronze campaign stars World War II Victory Medal

Later career

External videos
Author Robert Leckie  Booknotes interview with Leckie on Okinawa: The Last Battle of World War II, September 4, 1995, C-SPAN

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.

According to his wife Vera, in 1951 Leckie was inspired to write a memoir after seeing South Pacific on Broadway and walking out halfway through it. 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."

His first and best-selling book, Helmet for My Pillow, a war memoir, was published in 1957. Leckie subsequently wrote more than 40 books on American war history, spanning from the French and Indian War (1754–1763) to Desert Storm (1991).

Personal life

He married Vera Keller, and they had three children: David, Geoff and Joan.

Death

A longtime resident of Byram Township, New Jersey, Leckie died on December 24, 2001, six days after his 81st birthday, 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.

Books

Military history books

  • March to Glory. World Publishing Co. 1960. LCCN 60011454. OCLC 2851705.
  • Conflict: The History of the Korean War, 1950–53. Da Capo Press. 1996 [1962]. ISBN 0-306-80716-5.
  • Strong Men Armed: The United States Marines Against Japan. Perseus Publishing. 1997 [1962 (Random House)]. ISBN 978-0-306-80785-5.
  • Challenge for the Pacific: Guadalcanal, the Turning Point of the War. Doubleday. 1965. OCLC 1295146.
  • Challenge for the Pacific: The Bloody Six-Month Battle of Guadalcanal. Doubleday & Company. 1968. ISBN 0-306-80911-7.
  • Delivered from Evil: The Saga of World War II. Harper & Row. 1987. ISBN 0-06-015812-3.
  • None Died in Vain: The Saga of the Civil War. Harper Perennial. 1990. ISBN 0-06-016280-5.
  • The General. I Books. April 2, 2002 [1991]. ISBN 0-7434-4461-2.
  • George Washington's War: The Saga of the American Revolution. Harper Collins. 1992. ISBN 0-06-016289-9.
  • From Sea to Shining Sea: From the War of 1812 to the Mexican-American War, the Saga of America's Expansion. Harper Perennial. 1994. ISBN 0-06-016802-1.
  • Okinawa: The Last Battle of World War II. Viking Press. 1995. ISBN 0-670-84716-X.
  • The Wars of America: From 1600 to 1900. Harper Collins. 1998. ISBN 0-06-012571-3.
  • A Few Acres of Snow: The Saga of the French and Indian Wars. Wiley & Sons. 2000. ISBN 0-471-24690-5.
  • Warfare: A Study of War

Autobiography

Catholic history

  • These Are My Heroes: A Study of the Saints
  • A Soldier-Priest Talks to Youth
  • American and Catholic

Fiction books

Books for younger readers

  • The Battle for Iwo Jima. New York: Random House. 1967. ISBN 1-59019-241-9.
  • The Story of Football. Random House. 1965.
  • The Story of World War Two
  • The Story of World War One
  • The War in Korea
  • Great American Battles. Random House. 1968. LCCN 68023671. "Summary: A review of America's major wars, from the French and Indian War to the War in Korea, with emphasis on eleven important battles: Quebec, Trenton, New Orleans, Mexico City, Chancellorsville, Appomattox, Santiago, Belleau Wood, Guadalcanal, Normandy, and Pusan-Inchon."
  • The World Turned Upside-Down
  • 1812: The War Nobody Won
  • The Big Game
  • Keeper Play
  • Black Treasure. Simon and Schuster. 1959. OCLC 7712167. (Sandy Steele #1, as by "Roger Barlow")
  • Danger at Mormon Crossing. Simon and Schuster. 1959. OCLC 7712176. (Sandy Steele #2, as by "Roger Barlow")
  • Stormy Voyage. Simon and Schuster. 1959. OCLC 40166247. (Sandy Steele #3, as by "Roger Barlow")
  • Fire at Red Lake. Simon and Schuster. 1959. OCLC 7712190. (Sandy Steele #4, as by "Roger Barlow")
  • Secret Mission to Alaska. Simon and Schuster. 1959. OCLC 7712190. (Sandy Steele #5, as by "Roger Barlow")
  • Troubled Waters. Simon and Schuster. 1959. OCLC 7712156. (Sandy Steele #6, as by "Roger Barlow")

See also

Notes

References

Tags:

Author Robert Leckie Early life and educationAuthor Robert Leckie Early career and military serviceAuthor Robert Leckie Later careerAuthor Robert Leckie Personal lifeAuthor Robert Leckie DeathAuthor Robert Leckie BooksAuthor Robert Leckie

🔥 Trending searches on Wiki English:

Misa HyltonRuPaul's Drag Race (season 16)Kim PorterBad Boys (franchise)JesusSpaceman (2024 film)Cheryl HinesMuhammad AliList of country calling codesTitanicMoon2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearanceJason StathamRebecca FergusonMalik ScottGriselda BlancoJake PaulAaron Taylor-JohnsonBianca CensoriSam Taylor-JohnsonDavid BeckhamDan SchneiderMatthew GarberSouth AfricaMalaysia national football teamDune (novel)Royal Challengers BangaloreThe Dark ForestList of most-streamed artists on SpotifyPaige BueckersClint EastwoodLarry DavidJesse PalmerTom HollandJohnny DeppLokesh KanagarajMiami Open (tennis)Jeffrey JonesNetherlandsGmailBrothers (2009 film)Alyson HanniganCody RhodesDev PatelElon MuskWikipediaHTTP 404Murder of Grace MillaneXXXXThree-body problemDakota FanningSeven deadly sinsIndependence Day (Bangladesh)Diana, Princess of WalesRobert PattinsonJann MardenboroughHelldivers 2George BaldockDani AlvesJeremy Allen WhiteTyla (South African singer)NapoleonEuropeWilliam, Prince of WalesFort McHenry TunnelChinaR. KellyPirates of the Caribbean (film series)Richard PitinoNATOApple Inc.Sofia PernasCillian MurphyDeath's EndGoldie HawnFrancis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)🡆 More