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.
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 Pavuvu Islands. He returned to the United States in March 1945 and was honorably discharged shortly thereafter.
Military decorations
Leckie's decorations include:
Later career
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 Leckie, 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, whom he was married 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
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
Ordained
The Bloodborn
Forged in Blood
Blood of the Seventeen Fires
Books for younger readers
The Story of World War Two
The Story of World War One
The War in Korea
"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 (Sandy Steele #1, as by "Roger Barlow") Danger at Mormon Crossing (Sandy Steele #2, as by "Roger Barlow") Stormy Voyage (Sandy Steele #3, as by "Roger Barlow") Fire at Red Lake (Sandy Steele #4, as by "Roger Barlow") Secret Mission to Alaska (Sandy Steele #5, as by "Roger Barlow") Troubled waters (Sandy Steele #6, as by "Roger Barlow") According to World Catalogue, Robert Leckie, writing as "Roger Barlow", also wrote six juvenile boy adventure books called "The Sandy Steele" series; all six are available at Gutenberg.org.