Helmet For My Pillow Summary
1500 1500.3 10 Oct 14 From: Lance Corporal Woodwick, Erik B 0231, 2nd Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment Headquarters and Service Company, S2
To: Corporal Albright, Calvin, 2nd Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment Headquarters and Service Company, S2
Subj: BOOK REPORT OF “Helmet for my Pillow” BY ROBERT LECKIE
1. Recommendations
a. Audience. I recommend “Helmet for my Pillow” to every single Marine. The book was phenomenal in going into detail about exact events that happened to the 1st Marines during WW2. The author is writing the novel in 1st person point of view and his recollections of the events that took place. Since the author is writing in 1st person point of …show more content…
view, he is able to write in great detail about all the events that took place. Leckie’s novel contains lessons that pertain to all ranks in the Marine Corps; teaching lessons about combat, lessons about life, and most importantly lessons about leadership. I also recommend this book to the majority of the U.S. population to further everyone’s background on events that took place during WW2 in the Pacific. WW2 is a major event in American history, and I believe everyone, military and civilians, should read this book to further everyone’s understanding and knowledge of events that occurred in the Pacific during WW2.
b. Action. The key point I took from the novel is the importance of small unit leadership. This is demonstrated several times throughout the novel. One occasion the author describes an event that took place on Guadalcanal. The officer in charge told Leckie, who is a machine gunner, to set up in the defense in a ravine. Leckie later decided that their position was neither safe nor beneficial to the rest of their company as he had no supporting fire and was in the wide open. Leckie decided to take charge and take him and his team up the hill and set up where he had mutually supporting fire with the rest of the company and dug into the defense. The next day Leckie explained to the officer why he took charge and moved his men to a safer and more beneficial location. This in turn led to saving the lives of his team and many members of his company.
2. Analysis of the Content. a. Thesis. Robert Leckie recalls the events of the war in the Pacific in first person point of view. He tells the story of what it means and what it takes to be a Marine, and also the obstacles and hardships he had to overcome to achieve success during the war in the Pacific of WW2.
b.
Synopsis. The book begins with Leckie volunteering for the Marine Corps on January 5, 1942 from his home in New Jersey. Leckie was sent to MCRD Paris Island for boot camp. Next, Leckie and the other recruits were sent to New River for more training and finally the order to ship out via San Francisco to the Pacific.
Aboard the transport George S. Elliot, the Marines land at Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942 at Red Beach. The landing is anti-climactic, as there are no Japanese defending the landing beach and the only drama is becoming lost and discovering a cache of Japanese beer.
Leckie's role in combat is he is a 30 caliber machine gun assistant for the Second Battalion, First Regiment of the First Marine Division. Told to dig in along the Ilu River, Leckie and his comrades experience their first combat during the Battle of Teneru when Japanese advance from the eastern side of the river against their prepared machine gun and barbed wire positions. The Marines were able to successfully repel the Japanese’s attacks at Teneru. Leckie and the other Marines of the 1st Marine Division were relieved by the US Army from Guadalcanal on December 14, 1942, the last Marines to leave
Guadalcanal.
The book follows Leckie on leave in Melbourne, Australia and return to combat on December 26, 1943 at Cape Glouchester, New Britain. Afterward, the 1st Marines have a period of rest and recovery on Pavuvu Island. Returning to combat, Leckie participates in the invasion of Peleliu, but is quickly wounded by a nearby blast and evacuated from the battle, ending his frontline service. c. Key Characters. (1) Robert Leckie “Lucky” He is the author of the novel and goes in great detail about everything that took place. He not only told the horrific details about the battles, but also tells the stories of how the Marines were able to get through it all together. He doesn’t just tell the reader about the battles, he paints a picture to ensure the reader knows exactly what he and his fellow Marines were enduring during the war.
(2) “Chuckler” Chuckler is Leckie’s best friend throughout the whole novel, all the way from basic training to Peleliu. These two bring meaning to the saying Marines are brothers. They were always there for each other during the worst times in Guadalcanal and during liberty in Australia. Even when Leckie was forced to switch companies, they still would sneak off and catch up with each other. On one occasion, Chuckler and Leckie were sent to the brig together for sneaking off ship without liberty.
(3) “Runner” Runner was part of Chuckler and Leckie’s relationship also, even though it was not as close as Chucklers and Leckie’s relationship was. Runner relied on those two for nearly everything. Chuckler and Leckie always had Runners back in every situation. During Guadalcanal always covering Runner and looking out for his safety, especially when Runner came down with malaria, Chuckler took care of him and helped him through his recovery.
a. Key Passages.
(1) # Page 171
a. “I’m not going to ruin your life” the Battalion Commander said, and my stomach that had been fleeing seemed to pause, and turn. “I could put you away for a long time for what you’ve done. Being drunk is no excuse- a marine is supposed to be able to handle his liquor. You’ve got a good war record, though”- he went on, leafing the pages of my record book again- “and you seem to have a good background. So I’m not going to ship you back to Portsmouth, where the books says I should ship you-but I’m not going to let you get away with it, either” his face hardened. “Five days’ bread-and-water. Reduced to private”
b. This passage is important to the novel because it shows great quality of leadership from the Battalion Commander. Instead of doing the correct procedure and shipping Leckie back to the states to serve time in the brig, he looked at Leckie’s professionalism and the way he has conducted himself as a Marine in and out of combat. This is a concept that is now lost within the Marine Corps. Today excellent Marines are being forced out of the Marine Corps. It could be a SSgt that got NJP’d as a PFC and no longer can re-enlist. I find this could be very detrimental to the Marine Corps, because instead of looking at how the Marine can perform his job and look into all his experience, the Marine Corps would rather take a Marine with little to no real life training just because he has a clean record on paper. The Marine Corps is down grading and losing valuable Marines with high levels of experience.
3. Lessons Learned.
a. Make sound and timely decisions.
Leckie excelled in this leadership trait during the Battle of Teneru. During the battle the Japanese attacked during the night swarming the area with troops. Leckie decided to constantly move his machine gun post, so the overwhelming number of Japanese’s soldiers could not lock onto their position, and also give the illusion that there was multiple machine gun nests. Leckie was able to make this timely decision while under heavy fire from the Japanese force, ultimately leading to the Marines winning the battle.
b. Know your Marines and look out for their welfare.
Towards the end of Guadacanal, a high number of Marines in Leckie’s company suffered from malaria and other sicknesses. Leckie knew morale was down and everyone was weak from lack of food and water. When the Army arrived Leckie and Chuckler would sneak away from their defensive positions and raid the Armies supplies. Morally, stealing may not have been the right thing to do, but Leckie was looking out for his own Marines health. Leckie would not engulf the food he stole, even though he was just as sick and hungry as his fellow Marines, instead he would bring everything and equally split so all the Marines were able to get something. c. Be technically and tactically proficient.
The officer in charge of Leckie’s company picked a small ravine for Lecke’s machine gun team to set up in the defense near a grassy knoll. That night Luckie decided that the position was not the best position that his team could be at to support the company. He decided to move at night, he warned all Marines on the hill that his team was moving so that the fellow Marines would not accidently fire upon them. The next morning the officer confronted Leckie and questioned why he moved his team and disobeyed him. Leckie respectfully told him that the machine gun needed to be employed to have mutually supporting fire with the rest of the company and the position further up allowed him to have cover and was able have set up sectors of fire to support the whole company. The officer trusted his judgment, as Leckie proved to be technically and tactically proficient with his weapon system and how it should be employed.
4. Final Thought. Robert Leckie has written an outstanding book. This book is a must read for all Marines regardless of rank. The book should not be read only for the study in leadership, but also from the perspective of a Marine engaged in a seemingly endless conflict. Leckie speaks of timeless war where rumors of returning home rise and fall with the completion of each assault. Leckie covers all events; the murderous landings and campaigns in Guadalcanal, New Britain, and Peleliu; and the adventures and misadventures of liberty in Australia, in great detail.
5. The point of contact for this report is:
Name E-Mail Phone Lance Corporal Woodwick E.B. eric.woodwick@usmc.mil EXT 2702
E. B. Woodwick
Peer Viewed by:
Lance Corporal Hardy, Andrew
To: Corporal Albright, Calvin, 2nd Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment Headquarters and Service Company, S2
Subj: BOOK REPORT OF “Helmet for my Pillow” BY ROBERT LECKIE
1. Recommendations
a. Audience. I recommend “Helmet for my Pillow” to every single Marine. The book was phenomenal in going into detail about exact events that happened to the 1st Marines during WW2. The author is writing the novel in 1st person point of view and his recollections of the events that took place. Since the author is writing in 1st person point of …show more content…
view, he is able to write in great detail about all the events that took place. Leckie’s novel contains lessons that pertain to all ranks in the Marine Corps; teaching lessons about combat, lessons about life, and most importantly lessons about leadership. I also recommend this book to the majority of the U.S. population to further everyone’s background on events that took place during WW2 in the Pacific. WW2 is a major event in American history, and I believe everyone, military and civilians, should read this book to further everyone’s understanding and knowledge of events that occurred in the Pacific during WW2.
b. Action. The key point I took from the novel is the importance of small unit leadership. This is demonstrated several times throughout the novel. One occasion the author describes an event that took place on Guadalcanal. The officer in charge told Leckie, who is a machine gunner, to set up in the defense in a ravine. Leckie later decided that their position was neither safe nor beneficial to the rest of their company as he had no supporting fire and was in the wide open. Leckie decided to take charge and take him and his team up the hill and set up where he had mutually supporting fire with the rest of the company and dug into the defense. The next day Leckie explained to the officer why he took charge and moved his men to a safer and more beneficial location. This in turn led to saving the lives of his team and many members of his company.
2. Analysis of the Content. a. Thesis. Robert Leckie recalls the events of the war in the Pacific in first person point of view. He tells the story of what it means and what it takes to be a Marine, and also the obstacles and hardships he had to overcome to achieve success during the war in the Pacific of WW2.
b.
Synopsis. The book begins with Leckie volunteering for the Marine Corps on January 5, 1942 from his home in New Jersey. Leckie was sent to MCRD Paris Island for boot camp. Next, Leckie and the other recruits were sent to New River for more training and finally the order to ship out via San Francisco to the Pacific.
Aboard the transport George S. Elliot, the Marines land at Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942 at Red Beach. The landing is anti-climactic, as there are no Japanese defending the landing beach and the only drama is becoming lost and discovering a cache of Japanese beer.
Leckie's role in combat is he is a 30 caliber machine gun assistant for the Second Battalion, First Regiment of the First Marine Division. Told to dig in along the Ilu River, Leckie and his comrades experience their first combat during the Battle of Teneru when Japanese advance from the eastern side of the river against their prepared machine gun and barbed wire positions. The Marines were able to successfully repel the Japanese’s attacks at Teneru. Leckie and the other Marines of the 1st Marine Division were relieved by the US Army from Guadalcanal on December 14, 1942, the last Marines to leave
Guadalcanal.
The book follows Leckie on leave in Melbourne, Australia and return to combat on December 26, 1943 at Cape Glouchester, New Britain. Afterward, the 1st Marines have a period of rest and recovery on Pavuvu Island. Returning to combat, Leckie participates in the invasion of Peleliu, but is quickly wounded by a nearby blast and evacuated from the battle, ending his frontline service. c. Key Characters. (1) Robert Leckie “Lucky” He is the author of the novel and goes in great detail about everything that took place. He not only told the horrific details about the battles, but also tells the stories of how the Marines were able to get through it all together. He doesn’t just tell the reader about the battles, he paints a picture to ensure the reader knows exactly what he and his fellow Marines were enduring during the war.
(2) “Chuckler” Chuckler is Leckie’s best friend throughout the whole novel, all the way from basic training to Peleliu. These two bring meaning to the saying Marines are brothers. They were always there for each other during the worst times in Guadalcanal and during liberty in Australia. Even when Leckie was forced to switch companies, they still would sneak off and catch up with each other. On one occasion, Chuckler and Leckie were sent to the brig together for sneaking off ship without liberty.
(3) “Runner” Runner was part of Chuckler and Leckie’s relationship also, even though it was not as close as Chucklers and Leckie’s relationship was. Runner relied on those two for nearly everything. Chuckler and Leckie always had Runners back in every situation. During Guadalcanal always covering Runner and looking out for his safety, especially when Runner came down with malaria, Chuckler took care of him and helped him through his recovery.
a. Key Passages.
(1) # Page 171
a. “I’m not going to ruin your life” the Battalion Commander said, and my stomach that had been fleeing seemed to pause, and turn. “I could put you away for a long time for what you’ve done. Being drunk is no excuse- a marine is supposed to be able to handle his liquor. You’ve got a good war record, though”- he went on, leafing the pages of my record book again- “and you seem to have a good background. So I’m not going to ship you back to Portsmouth, where the books says I should ship you-but I’m not going to let you get away with it, either” his face hardened. “Five days’ bread-and-water. Reduced to private”
b. This passage is important to the novel because it shows great quality of leadership from the Battalion Commander. Instead of doing the correct procedure and shipping Leckie back to the states to serve time in the brig, he looked at Leckie’s professionalism and the way he has conducted himself as a Marine in and out of combat. This is a concept that is now lost within the Marine Corps. Today excellent Marines are being forced out of the Marine Corps. It could be a SSgt that got NJP’d as a PFC and no longer can re-enlist. I find this could be very detrimental to the Marine Corps, because instead of looking at how the Marine can perform his job and look into all his experience, the Marine Corps would rather take a Marine with little to no real life training just because he has a clean record on paper. The Marine Corps is down grading and losing valuable Marines with high levels of experience.
3. Lessons Learned.
a. Make sound and timely decisions.
Leckie excelled in this leadership trait during the Battle of Teneru. During the battle the Japanese attacked during the night swarming the area with troops. Leckie decided to constantly move his machine gun post, so the overwhelming number of Japanese’s soldiers could not lock onto their position, and also give the illusion that there was multiple machine gun nests. Leckie was able to make this timely decision while under heavy fire from the Japanese force, ultimately leading to the Marines winning the battle.
b. Know your Marines and look out for their welfare.
Towards the end of Guadacanal, a high number of Marines in Leckie’s company suffered from malaria and other sicknesses. Leckie knew morale was down and everyone was weak from lack of food and water. When the Army arrived Leckie and Chuckler would sneak away from their defensive positions and raid the Armies supplies. Morally, stealing may not have been the right thing to do, but Leckie was looking out for his own Marines health. Leckie would not engulf the food he stole, even though he was just as sick and hungry as his fellow Marines, instead he would bring everything and equally split so all the Marines were able to get something. c. Be technically and tactically proficient.
The officer in charge of Leckie’s company picked a small ravine for Lecke’s machine gun team to set up in the defense near a grassy knoll. That night Luckie decided that the position was not the best position that his team could be at to support the company. He decided to move at night, he warned all Marines on the hill that his team was moving so that the fellow Marines would not accidently fire upon them. The next morning the officer confronted Leckie and questioned why he moved his team and disobeyed him. Leckie respectfully told him that the machine gun needed to be employed to have mutually supporting fire with the rest of the company and the position further up allowed him to have cover and was able have set up sectors of fire to support the whole company. The officer trusted his judgment, as Leckie proved to be technically and tactically proficient with his weapon system and how it should be employed.
4. Final Thought. Robert Leckie has written an outstanding book. This book is a must read for all Marines regardless of rank. The book should not be read only for the study in leadership, but also from the perspective of a Marine engaged in a seemingly endless conflict. Leckie speaks of timeless war where rumors of returning home rise and fall with the completion of each assault. Leckie covers all events; the murderous landings and campaigns in Guadalcanal, New Britain, and Peleliu; and the adventures and misadventures of liberty in Australia, in great detail.
5. The point of contact for this report is:
Name E-Mail Phone Lance Corporal Woodwick E.B. eric.woodwick@usmc.mil EXT 2702
E. B. Woodwick
Peer Viewed by:
Lance Corporal Hardy, Andrew