Helmet for My Pillow

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, 2nd Battalion of the 1st Marine Division. 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. Yet 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, at multiple levels. In this context, I found his account of warfare as a process of organizational learning riveting. 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 serious qualification.

At first Leckie grabbed my attention by being at the front of the line to join
The US Marines. Through basic traning and on, a pattern seems to develop in his character. A lack of respect for any person in a position of authority starts to develop. From him, one gets the impression that he feels as if it is some kind of game to try to get over on his superiors, sometimes at the cost of his fellow Marines. He seems to thrive on getting over, getting drunk and womanizing. All that before he ever goes into combat. After entering combat it seems that he continues to try to get over and out of as much as he can. On Guadalcanal, He explains, drunk on japanese sake, he gets naked and swims across a croc infested creek to get to japanese prizes, only to get sick swim back across and get complimented by a know-nothing Lt. from his platoon. He seems to bask in being able to fool his superiors.
He seems to wonder why he does't make any rank and continues to get picked on.
His trip to Australia and further misadventures continues to befuddle him. He cannot seem to give any credit, even to the sgtmajor that could have sent him to prison or the doctor that could have put him away.
Towards the end of the book, on Peleliu it might appear that he does gain at least a little redemption and perhaps begins to reflect back upon his wayward ways and to think of others besides himself. Better late than never.
I have known a number of World War II Pacific Marines. After all that I have met, I would have to say that Leckie would appear to be different. I have the upmost Respect and Appreciation for ALL that participated.
All said and done I must say that I am glad to have read This Book. If not the most enjoyable read, though well written, but for a First Person Account by someone who was there. It seems to ask as many questions as it answers. Many second hand accounts, information heavy documentary, and backseat drivers are available.
I am sorry Mr Leckie is no longer with us (2001,age 81). I know that he had a long list of titles to his credit. I hope during his long life he was able to cope and find peace.
I would like to recommend reading, E.B. Sledge's "With The Old Breed", after reading this work. It offers an interesting compare and contrast.

I first learned of this book when I read that it was being used as one of the sources for a 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: At Peleliu and Okinawa, 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; at points Leckie tries too hard to be a writer, and his efforts at evocative prose about his surroundings in the jungle come across as a little overwrought. 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.

First off, this is nowhere near E.B. Sledge's narrative, "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa". Leckie comes across as a slovenly, pilfering, disrespectful Marine, with detailed descriptions of getting drunk, chasing women, and getting locked in the brig. The details of his first two campaigns at Guadalcanal and New Britain are vague, don't get me wrong they are interesting, but they don't go into the gut and heart wrenching details that E.B. Sledge did. I did not feel for the participants like I should have. To top that off, Leckie keeps assigning nicknames to everyone, especially the officers. This tended to cheapen the narrative. When the author arrived at the battle for Peleliu, he began to write more seriously, despite being 10 pages from the end of the book. However, I was not sickened by the carnage and brought to tears like I was when I read "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa". In conclusion, this is a good biography, but not a great one. For a much more visceral account, stick with Sledge.

There are hundreds of first person accounts from surviving veterans. This is one of the best - it is straight forward and honest. Along with E.B. Sledge's "With the Old Breed," I recommend this to those who wish to read about South Pacific island-hopping combat from the perspective of a line Marine or soldier.