Robert Leckie's experience during the (August 1942 – February 1943) is one of the most famous firsthand accounts of the Pacific War. A machine gunner with the 1st Marine Division, Leckie's transition from an aspiring journalist to a "battle-hardened veteran" became a cornerstone of his acclaimed memoir, Helmet for My Pillow . Key Events in Leckie's Guadalcanal Experience "The Pacific" Guadalcanal/Leckie (TV Episode 2010) - Plot