Robert Leckie

Born in Philadelphia in 1920 and raised in Rutherford, New Jersey, Robert Leckie became a newspaper writer while still young and later served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. His combat experience with the 1st Marine Division shaped much of his later work and gave his writing its direct, lived-in feel.

After the war, he built a long career as a journalist and author, producing more than 40 books. His best-known work, Helmet for My Pillow (1957), is a memoir of his wartime service and remains one of the books most closely associated with his name.

Leckie also wrote extensively about American military history, along with fiction, children's books, and works on sports and Catholic history and culture. He died in 2001, leaving behind a body of work that helped many readers connect personal experience with the larger sweep of history.