Customer Reviews

Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First, I must admit a particular regard for this book as the granddaughter of Bill Smith (whom Leckie refers to as 'Hoosier'), who served with Leckie in How Company. Leckie offers nuanced insight into the ways in which he and his friends understood national military service, the `enemy', and the war more generally, and how these perspectives or ideas evolved among the men from North Carolina to Guadalcanal, Australia, and New Britain. Leckie steers clear from prototypes or cliches; there is no enblematic enlisted man or officer. Rather, these men are treated as real people coping (or not) with the profound uncertainty of their situation.

Perhaps this appreciation says more about my own lack of experience with combat/warfare. Thinking of Guadalcanal from a macro or military history perspective, it is easy to take for granted that marines' objectives - and the most efficacious means to pursue them - were always apparent to those involved. In this context, Leckie's account of warfare as a learning process was fascinating. For example, he describes: 1) the marines' first reactions to air battle and subsequent adjustment to air battle as a simple process of attrition; and 2) the uncertainty confronted by officers at various stages, against the backdrop of the US' limited military experience in the Pacific or in jungles more generally. In this way, Leckie also makes apparent the need - and efficacy - of severe hierarchy. For this reason, I think that reviewers' arguments positing a lack of regard for officers deserve qualification.

***UPDATE/REFLECTIONS***
Hoosier was wounded and evacuated early in the Battle of Peleliu; I believe that Chuckler and Runner were wounded later and evacuated with Leckie. Leckie and his friends stayed in touch - in the summer of 1985, my grandfather and his wife, as well as Runner (Juergens) and his wife, went to visit Leckie in New Jersey. There Leckie decidated a park in their honor, in honor of all marines who fought in the Pacific Theater (I uploaded a photo of the dedication plaque in the 'customer image gallery').

Although Hoosier never liked to share his experiences from the war, my father considers the book to be true to his character. And, while the HBO miniseries diverges considerably from the book, Hoosier's sense of humor appears true to form (the book provides far greater nuance and depth, different dialogue, and events unfolded differently). This edition of the book also includes a few photographs of Leckie, Runner, Hoosier, and others - some taken in their dress blues, and others on Guadalcanal.

One of the best personal memoirs of war I have ever read. Leckie is brutally honest about anything and everything to do with his experiences in the 1st Marine Division during WWII. Incredibly impressed by his sensitive candor and philosophical reflections on the impact of war on human beings. Having been an officer myself, I was truly shocked to read his descriptions of Marine officers blatantly stealing from enlisted men. I guess in wartime, they were willing to let anyone become an officer. Leckie pulls no punches but shows remarkable understanding, forgiveness, and mercy towards all his comrades and even the enemy. This book is a classic and a must-read for anyone interested in what combat in the Pacific theater was really like and about young men's reaction to war. Rest in peace, Robert Leckie. For those who fell, there is no hell. I thank God knowing you have been reunited with your comrades. Thank you for writing this book. It was a privilege to have read it. A great gift to those who have never known the horrors and sacrifice of war.

`Helmet for My Pillow" is a reissue from 1957. My one and only complaint is my usual one with reissues...please put in an updated introduction...tell us what has happened with the author or life, don't just reissue it and do nothing else. This will be made into a mini series which is probably the reason for the reissue. No matter what the reason it's definitely worth reading. Robert Leckie's descriptions create a picture; from his drill sergeant..." but above all he had a voice" to the exultation of leave in Australian after the battle of Guadalcanal. There are black and white pictures throughout the pages of the men he served with and of Leckie which definitely helps with the mind's pictures.

But most of all this book is remarkable. I have heard men describe their experiences with jungle warfare, both from WWII and Vietnam, but never with the awful clarity that is done in these pages. I grew up in the army and have been with the military all of my life and can agree with so much of what is said here, and said with far more ability than almost any other book I have read.
Leakie pulls no punches, not in the way many of the enlisted were treated by their officers or in his own `mistakes' that landed in him the brig.
Historically there is much in here that I have never read before, and I have read and listened to much. There are stories of the hunger the fighting men felt during battle and how Japanese forces would try to sneak into their camps at night for food. Then there are the descriptions of the `widow makers', trees that were weakened by artillery fire that killed 25 men as they broke and fell on them.
This is truly an incredible account, eye opening and worthy of your time and effort to read.

I first learned of this book when I read that it was being used as one of the sources for HBO's new miniseries about the Pacific theater in the Second World War. Having enjoyed the other source material being used, E. B. Sledge's superb memoir, With the Old Breed, I decided to track down a copy of Leckie's account and read it for myself. Because of this, I found myself comparing the two works as I read it, which influenced my overall opinion of the book.

In many ways, the experiences of the two men were similar. Both were civilians prior to the Second World War; Leckie enlisted in the Marines a month after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His account of basic training feels incredibly authentic, in part because of his attention to details. Leckie captures much of the mundane minutiae of learning how to be a Marine, from the bureaucratic experience of inoculation to the quest for a good time on leave. This sense of authenticity continues as he describes his deployment to Guadalcanal with the First Marine Division and his engagement with the war there. These experiences form the best part of the book, as his initial encounter with life as a Marine in both training and war reflect his interest in the novelty of it all.

From Guadalcanal, Leckie's unit was returned to Australia for rest and refitting. This transformation into what he calls a "lotus-eater" also bears a real sense of verisimilitude, as unlike many memoirs of war he does not gloss over the search for release that often characterized breaks from the battles. It is here, though, that his account flags a little, and his return to combat in New Britain as part of Operation Cartwheel was perhaps the least interesting part of the book. The book improves with his subsequent experiences in the hospital in Banika and his final, abbreviated deployment to Peleliu, which ended with his injury and return to the States for the duration of the war.

Reading this book, it is easy to see why it stands out as an account of the Second World War. Leckie's prose brings alive both the mundane routines of service and the violence of combat. It is when he is between the two that the book suffers, as his efforts at evocative prose about his surroundings in the jungle suffer from being a little overwrought, particularly in comparison to Sledge's plainer, more straightforward descriptions. Yet both need to be read for a fascinating portrait of what the war was like for the "new boots" who gave up their lives as civilians to fight in the humid jungles and barren islands of the Pacific.

"Helmet for my Pillow" is a book written by writer who was from my hometown of Rutherford, NJ. He had a personal relationship with his family physician William Carlos Williams the great poet. They spent much time together and you do not know how much of William's descriptive poetry style rubbed off on Leckie. I found his vocabulary to be extensive. You must keep in mind that he is describing a terrible yet historical time in U.S. history and he is attempting to give his fellow comrades in the marines their fair due. He never names a person by their real name and I think that is masterful because it shows how you do not want to get too personal with your fellow marines, because, they will be may gone at some point soon. He wrote the book after seeing 'South Pacific" when he walked out half way through the play and said to his wife Vera "I am going to write a book to tell the true story of what took place in the South Pacific". He wanted to honor his friends who gave up so much whether they lived or died. The book is hard reading but not as hard as he had it. He was a wild guy who tells the truth. He doesn't mix word or actions. Yeah, they drank a lot. From basic training to the awful islands where they would steal Saki when they could. After a while you begin to wonder if all the marines drank that much. Yet you must remember that his generation started the cocktail hour and they lived by "Its 5 O'clock, Dear Lets have a drink!". To sum it up they are making a huge HBO show 10 parts series about it, so whether you like it or not it is a must read to appreciate the show. I read it, and, I will have a much better understanding of what those men went through. I would recommend this book. I never met Mr. Leckie as far back as I can recall. My mother and uncles were his very close friends at St. Mary's high school, in Rutherford. He was the youngest of 8 kids and it is quite exceptional that the baby in the family turned out to be such a success. He wrote over 40 books in his lifetime and he is a man with a high school education. The Sisters of St. Dominic must have done a greast job teachingb him when he wasn't playing hookie.

For those who don't know, Leckie was a sportswriter for the Hackensack Record who enlisted in the Marines on 8 December 1941. The book is an authentic memoir of Leckie's career as a Marine from boot camp at MCRD Paris Island through his wounding at Peleliu.

Leckie is a gifted writer, his prose is very evocative and descriptive of his environment and the men around him. One of the most interesting things about the book is that throughout Leckie makes no effort to "polish up" his own image. He is quite forthcoming about his sojourns in the brig and about his disdain for officers. He makes no attempt to sanitize or rationalize the behavior of himself and his buddies in Melbourne. He is even frank about his affliction with enuresis (bedwetting) during the Cape Gloucester campaign.

As a result of his candor, his writing skills and his personality, a picture of Bob Leckie emerges that is almost stereotypical of a smart-ass, pugnacious, Irish reporter from back east. He comes across almost like a character played by Jimmy Cagney in a Ben Hecht screenplay. Whether that is an accurate description of the actual man, I can't say, but it is the one he paints of himself.

This was simply a thoroughly satisfying book, in fact it will remain on my shelf among other outstanding WWII memoirs such as Manchester's Goodbye Darkness and Fraser's Quartered Safe Out Here

I read this and "The Old Breed." Two different books but telling remarkable stories of bravery, loss and horror. I recommend that this one be read before Sledge's work. After reading them both I've come to appreciate both their different styles and focus. What struck me most was when I read passages that described the same event but from obviously different perspectives. It is sad that as I watch "The Pacific" miniseries it only scratches at the strength both of these books convey. Read these books to get at the story because the screenplay makes compromises along the way.

With the hoopla surrounding the HBO mini series, The Pacific, I purchased this book and was excited to sit down and read it. With all due respect to Mr. Leckie and his service to our country, I was very disappointed. Perhaps because I am a former combat arms Marine, I was disappointed in his view, attitude, and the way he portrayed just about every rank that was above him (which were numerous) as incompetent or "rule makers" that inhibited his and his buddies "fun." Thank God there were people like Cpl/Sgt Burgin and Capt Haldane and thousands of others like them that were committed to accomplishing the mission, trying to survive themselves, AND bring back their troops from this hell, alive. But as I read this book, I found myself constantly thinking that Mr. Leckie's NCOs and Officers in their DOWN TIME, were rewarded with getting to deal with Leckie and his "fun" buddies as they raised hell. That must have been insanely frustrating for them.

I certainly understand that being in pressure cooker(s) like these Marines experienced in the Pacific also necessitated "fun time" (of course) and raising hell. But, it seemed like Mr. Leckie over emphasized the "sea stories" over the actual combat and horror that he and his buddies went through, thus causing me to dislike the book.

No matter, I suppose. Mr. Leckie wrote a book (and many others) and is a wealthy man and this book was a basis for a movie. He certainly is a talented individual who has achieved quite a bit in his life. Good for him, he certainly deserves it.

But, I have read better. If you really want to read a book that when you close it will make you think you have more to give to our country than you currently are...read The Last Stand of Fox Company.

I first read this book about thirty years ago when I first joined the army; I have just completed reading the re-issued version of the book as I have an interest in the Pacific war.

Personally I enjoyed Robert Leckie's story of his journey from induction to the front line with the US Marines in the Pacific, his descriptions of places like the Solomon Islands are spot on. I journeyed there almost fifty years after the end of the war in the Pacific, to assist in the location and disposal of WW2 ordnance in the islands and this work took me through many of the locations in the island chain, such as the Russells, New Georgia and Guadalcanal. Having also spent some time in tropical warfare environments and experiencing living in jungle conditions in the Australian army's battle school, I relate to the author and his descriptions of life in these island environments. The discomfort, being constantly wet and encountering various jungle animal nasties, as well as encounters with the enemy, often at night and in very close quarters is definitely something to keep one in a high state of tense anxiety.

I was also particularly drawn to his experiences spent in Melbourne, Australia, as Melbourne is my home town and looking at pictures of the young Robert Leckie in his Marine uniform reminded me of stories my mother related about families in Australia at the time hosting US servicemen into their homes. The period 1941-1942 were dark days for Australia, with the threat of Japanese invasion very real and many Australian families welcomed US service personnel into their homes at the time. Sadly many of these young men were to return to the Pacific and not see their homeland again.

Robert Leckie describes the various characters in his book with a bit of a larrikin's view, describing them by nicknames and also giving his impressions on many of the personalities; he strikes me as a person who didn't suffer fools irrespective of their rank or status. This character trait manifests itself through the book from his time in Recruit camp through to the time of his last battle.

In summary a well written book, with a serviceman's personal observations of places and personalities that give a grassroots experience of what it is like to be in the front lines. The book is more focused on the author's personal experiences and not so much on historical data, it allows the reader to experience life in the tropical South Pacific and gives them experiences of beach landings, patrolling in jungle and living in a dripping, wet environment. Together with the ever-present possibility of a contact with the enemy who could be as close as five metres when encountered due to the terrain. Well done, Robert Leckie!

Very personal account of Leckie's Pacific war front. Read E.B. Sledge's Last of the Old Breed first and found that i enjoyed Sledge's accounts better only because Leckie subs most of his characters true names with nicknames so as not to reveal actual soldiers and their good or bad exploits during the war. Was frustrating because I was trying to prepare for the HBO series The Pacific and was unable to distinguish who was who in the show and the novel. This was my only complaint because Leckie tells a gripping account of each of his island wars as where Sledge entered the war on the Island that Leckie was wounded. Leckie is honest about his feelings and his run in with MPS even to the point of discussing his days in confinement with vivid detail. A great read especially for those wanting more from the HBO series The Pacific.