Annotation:
Truly compelling, Helmet for my Pillow is an intimate look at one young Marine's life from his training to his survival of some of the most epic battles in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Robert "Lucky" Leckie recalls the hardships of himself and his fellow Marines, and recounts in haunting detail the price they paid for serving their country when they were still only teenagers.
Justification for Nomination:
Set in the genre of General Non-Fiction, this book written by Robert Leckie is a heartfelt and incredible look into his time serving in the First Marine Corps of the United States. Helmet For My Pillow has been an impact on the motion picture industry as well, and is a big part of Tom Hank's HBO critically acclaimed mini-series "The Pacific" where Robert Leckie plays a main part in the story line as the first main character they introduce. The Pacific part of WWII is the less covered but just as amazing part of WWII, whereas many stories focus on Europe during that period, the fighting in the Pacific area was just as brutal if not more so. In Helmet For My Pillow the reader really feels the angst that Leckie goes through, it is first person and you travel with Leckie through his training and through the many battles he fought in and amazingly enough survived. The captivating part of the story isn't the combat, it's the hardships that Leckie and his fellow marines were forced to endure. Robert Leckie gives the full account of the malaria, dysentery and mental anguish he and his comrades dealt with while trying to stay positive. In the horrible conditions of Guadalcanal, the reader experiences alongside Leckie the foot sores and the sorrowful feeling of being "expendable" by the military. One of the most moving parts of this book is when Leckie's new commander moves him from H Company where his only friends are to the dispirited E Company, much to his humiliation and agony, and the reader really feels that the soldiers who are fighting an impenetrable force of Japanese are also cruelly fighting their own institution.
One moment which was endearing and also heartwarming was the uncertainty Leckie and his close friends encountered over whether or not their worth was even noticed by the United States, did their fellow American’s even know Guadalcanal even existed? This is one point where the book that was part of the material for the HBO miniseries The Pacific was entwined almost word-for-word. When they are pulled aboard a naval ship, too weak to even board the ship under their own strength, Leckie and his friends drink a cup of coveted coffee and speak with a seaman. The reader and the soldiers alike are taken aback and humbled when the naval man offers the fact that “Everyone has heard of Guadalcanal. You guys are heroes back home.”
One of the many things I can appreciate about the accounts taken by the men in The Pacific miniseries – Robert Leckie included – is the ability they have to retell the story without sounding unpatriotic or unappreciative. They recount the stories of being starved, shot at, dehydrated, and not having enough supplies to keep them healthy yet they speak of the Marine Corps as a thing of such pride and grace. They take it all in stride even on the brink of insanity, and do their best to make the most of their situation. Most of the men that Robert Leckie was friends with as well as himself were volunteers; they headed into WWII without even knowledge of if they would end up in Germany or in the Philippines.
Overall I thought this book was both compelling and engaging. The hardships and the triumphs are felt by both the soldiers and reader, and the injustice of the circumstances yet the heroism and courage of the men make it both infuriating and joyous. I wonder if this was a difficult piece to recall for the author, and by the way he distances himself from some of the men who were killed by referring to them loosely by their location or nationality makes me feel like this was an incredible feat not only to write a memoir about such a trying time but also to remember it all. I would recommend The Pacific miniseries to anyone as well as this book, and I am looking forward to reading other books written by Leckie as well as his comrades who have also written some pieces about the foreboding war fought in the Pacific.
No comments:
Post a Comment