Robert Lee Sherrod (February 8, 1909 – February 13, 1994) was an American journalist, editor and writer. He was a war correspondent for ''Time'' and ''Life'' magazines, covering combat from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. During World War II, embedded with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, he covered the battles at Attu (with the U.S. Army),

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Saipan, Iwo Jima, and

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. He also authored five books on

, including ''Tarawa: The Story of a Battle'' (1944) and the definitive ''History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II'' (1952). He was an editor of ''Time'' during World War II and later editor of ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...

'', then vice-president of

Curtis Publishing Company The Curtis Publishing Company, founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became one of the largest and most influential publishers in the United States during the early 20th century. The company's publications included the ''Ladies' Home Jour ...

Early years and family

Robert Lee Sherrod was born on February 8, 1909, in

Thomas County, Georgia Thomas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census the population was 44,720. The county seat is Thomasville. Thomas County comprises the Thomasville, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Thomas Count ...

. He graduated from The

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

in 1929. He was married three times — to Elizabeth Hudson from 1936 until her death in 1958; to Margaret Carson, the prominent American publicist, from 1961 until 1972; and to Mary Gay Labrot Leonhardt from 1972 until her death in 1978. He had two sons, John and Robert L. Jr.

Journalism career

After Sherrod's college graduation, he worked for newspapers in the South until 1935, when he joined

Time, Inc. Time Inc. was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New York City. It owned and published over 100 magazine brands, including its namesake ''Time'', ''Sports Illu ...

In 1940,

William Saroyan William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''T ...

lists him among "contributing editors" at ''Time'' in the play, ''Love's Old Sweet Song''. During World War II, Sherrod covered the Pacific War for ''TIME'' and ''LIFE'' magazines — accompanying the Marines into battle at Attu (with the U.S. Army), Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. After witnessing the carnage at Tarawa, Sherrod was instrumental in advising President Roosevelt to air the controversial documentary With the Marines at Tarawa. Sherrod was one of only a few who were at Tarawa that the President knew personally and could trust to advise him on this matter from the point of view of the Marines on the ground. In 1943, the

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

of the Gilbert Islands was occupied by the Japanese. Sherrod accompanied the

U.S. Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

from their landing on the shores until the

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

was over. His book on the battle, ''Tarawa: The Story of a Battle'', was published 1944, at which time he was an associate editor of ''TIME''. Sherrod was also with the Marines during the invasion of Iwo Jima. He wrote,"at the end of a fortnight's bloody fighting there is no longer any doubt that Iwo is the most difficult amphibious operation in U.S. history." He later wrote the book ''On to Westward: The Battles of Saipan and Iwo Jima'' about his experiences on Saipan and Iwo Jima. Unfortunately, Sherrod also admitted to being responsible for spreading the rumor that Joe Rosenthal's famous photograph of the Marines' second flag raising on Mount Suribachi was "staged"; he later confessed that he was wrong and apologize

He was later a war correspondent in Korean War, Korea and in Vietnam. Sherrod was the managing editor for the ''Saturday Evening Post'' from 1955 to 1962, then editor from 1962 to 1965. He was vice president of the ''Posts parent company,

, from 1965 to 1966.

Death

Sherrod died in his home in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, from emphysema on February 13, 1994.

Works

In addition to his work as a war correspondent and editor, Sherrod authored five books on the military, including: * * * He also worked with

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

on a book about the

Apollo missions The Apollo program was a United States human spaceflight program carried out from 1961 to 1972 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which landed the first astronauts on the Moon. The program used the Saturn IB and Saturn ...

: *

References

Notes Bibliography * * * * * *

External links