Robert Leckie (author)
| Robert Leckie | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | "Lucky" |
| Born |
December 18, 1920 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 24, 2001 (aged 81) |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 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 | |
| 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.
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.
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 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.
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. He married Vera Keller, a childhood neighbor, and they had three children: David, Geoff and Joan. 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." 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).
...
Wikipedia