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
Nickname(s)
"Lucky", "Peaches"
Born
(1920-12-18)December 18, 1920 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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."[3]
He married Vera Keller, and they had three children: David, Geoff and Joan.[6]
Deathedit
A longtime resident of Byram Township, New Jersey,[7] 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.[8][9]
Booksedit
Military history booksedit
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.
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.
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."[10]
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")
^Leckie, Robert (1979). Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific: Robert Leckie: 9780553593310: Amazon.com: Books. Random House Publishing. ISBN 0553593315.
^Rice, Sarah (February 21, 2010). "HBO series illuminates N.J. Marine's book on World War II experience | NJ.com". NJ.com. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
^Booknotes, Okinawa: The Last Battle of World War II, Transcript of Interview with Robert Leckie, 3 September 1995
^"Robert Leckie – The Pacific". Awesome Stories. February 21, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
^"HBO series based on Byram man's war story", New Jersey Herald, March 6, 2010. Accessed February 23, 2022. "One night in 1951, Robert Leckie and his wife Vera stepped out to see the musical South Pacific.... The Byram writer and his memoir are the main focus of the HBO miniseries The Pacific, debuting March 14."
^"HBO The Pacific Premiere In Raritan". Black Tie Magazine. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
^"Obituary". The New York Times. December 27, 2001. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
^"Full Record of Great American battles (1968; Leckie, Robert)". Library of Congress Online Catalog. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
Referencesedit
"Leckie, Robert – Books and Biography". All Media Guide LLC. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
Leckie, Robert (March 10, 2010). "The Pacific Miniseries Unfolds Through Rutherford Veteran's Eyes". North Jersey (Interview). Interviewed by Virginia Rohan. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
Leckie, Robert (September 3, 1995). "Booknotes: 'Okinawa: The Last Battle of World War II' by Robert Leckie". C-SPAN (Interview). Interviewed by Brian Lamb. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
"Simple search – author – "Leckie, Robert"". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
Martindale, Stone (July 26, 2007). "'Band of Brothers' producers cast 'The Pacific' series on HBO". Monsters & Critics. Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
"Robert Leckie – The Pacific". Retrieved May 11, 2010.
DiIonno, Mark (February 21, 2010). "HBO series illuminates N.J. Marine's book on World War II experience". Nj. Retrieved May 11, 2010.