Robert Leckie -- Author and War Hero

 James Badge Dale as Robert Leckie in HBO's The Pacific

Robert Leckie is the author of Helmet For My Pillow, one of two books that form the basis for HBO's The Pacific. He is also one of the main characters and had the most screen time during episode one. After watching the first episode of The Pacific I wanted to know more about Mr. Leckie and thought I would share what I found.

 Robert Leckie Saluting

Sorry this doesn't directly have something to do with Chesty Puller, but I figure if you love Chesty you might also want to learn about other great Marines.

Robert Leckie and the actor who plays him, James Badge Dale

Robert Leckie (December 18, 1920 – December 24, 2001) was an American author of popular books on the military history of the United States. As a young man, he served in the Marine Corps with the 1st Marine Division during World War II. His experiences as a machine gunner and intelligence scout during the Battle of Guadalcanal and later campaigns are said to have greatly influenced his writing.

Leckie was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 18, 1920 to an Irish Catholic family of eight children. He grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey. He began his professional writing career, before World War II, at age 16 as a sports writer for The Record of Hackensack in Hackensack.

The 1st Marines take a break from killing the enemy

In 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Leckie enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served in combat in the Pacific theater, as a scout and a machine gunner in the 1st Marine Division. He participated in every major 1st Marine Division campaign except Okinawa.

Getting ready to hit the Beach

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. His first and best-selling book, Helmet for My Pillow, a personal 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). (source wiki  )

 Leckie (actor James Badge Dale) on Guadalcanal

I just started reading Helmet For My Pillow and it is pretty damn good. Leckie starts the book with his journey to Parris Island and tells one hell of a story. Check it out!

 

Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific

Leckie in his Marine Dress

Want to learn more about Robert Leckie? Check out this Interview he did 1995.

God Bless You Robert 

More to come later, and don't forget, episode 2 of The Pacific airs tonight at 9pm on HBO.

The Pacific -- Episode One

The first episode of HBO's The Pacific came out on Sunday, what did you guys think? I loved it! There wasn't much about Chesty Puller in the episode, but it captured my interest and I can't wait for next week's episode.

If you didn't watch, Chesty Puller (played by actor William Sadler) was in a few scenes, here is the breakdown.

The first time we see Lt. Colonel Puller he is briefing his Non-coms shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Sgt. John Basilone is among the men being briefed, he is one of the three main characters in the series and is played by actor Jon Seda. Puller always loved his enlisted men and they loved him in return. Puller tells the men, " The Uniform that you wear, the globe and anchor emblem that you have earned will make the difference between the freedom of the world and it's enslavement."

He tells them that the Japanese will be their enemy in this war, but they weren't counting on one thing -- The United States Marine Corps!

This part of the show gave me a small window into the reason Chesty Puller was such a great leader. Hell, I wanted to go fight the Japanese and it's over 60 years later.

Chesty also tells his men, "Never-mind Europe, the Nazis, and Mussolini. Hitler is not going to be our job. Not until they can't whip them without out us!"

This is good television.

Below is a clip from next weeks show.

 

Episode #2

The Pacific -- Sneak Peek Videos

Sneak peek videos of HBO's upcoming miniseries The Pacific.

The Pacific -- An HBO Miniseries

 

Info on "The Pacific" an HBO Miniseries

The Pacific is being produced by the same people that did the Band of Brothers HBO miniseries. This time around they will explore the Pacific Theater of Operations. If you have not seen Band of Brothers, I suggest you do. The book and the miniseries are both fantastic. I'm a big fan of the late Stephen Ambrose, one of the executive producers (Along with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, whoever the hell they are?) of the miniseries and author of the book.

 

 Actor Bill Sadler and Lewis "Chesty" Puller

 Bill Sadler will portray Puller in the upcoming miniseries The Pacific. I see a resemblance, what do you think?

  

 Taking the beach from HBO's "The Pacific"

 

 The Pacific is based primarily on two memoirs of U.S. Marines: With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie.

 

 Eugene Sledge and the actor whom portrays him, Joe Mazzello

  

Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone and the actor who will be playing him in "The Pacific" Jon Seda. Both wearing the Medal of Honor, one real, one a movie prop.

Bill Sadler as Chesty Puller

" Good Night, Bill Sadler, Wherever You Are!"

If you don't have HBO, get it before March 14th. This is going to be bad-ass. For more pictures from the upcoming HBO miniseries check out this link HBO: The Pacific: Slideshow