Robert Sherrod, who had been the editor of The Saturday Evening Post and a correspondent during World War II, passed away on Sunday at his home in Washington. He was a writer of books about World War II and had served in both capacities. He was 85 years old. Emphysema was the root reason, according to Dr. John H. Sherrod, who is a son.
The book “Tarawa: The Story of a Battle,” which was written by Robert Sherrod in 1944, is still available for purchase (thanks to the Admiral Nimitz Foundation). During the time that the book was published, Mr. Sherrod was working as an associate editor for Time magazine. He had covered a number of different phases of the war in the Pacific.
Over the course of a fierce battle that took place in 1943, United States marines were able to free the atoll of Tarawa, which was located in the Gilbert Islands in the western Pacific, from the Japanese occupation. Along with the invading forces, Mr. Sherrod made his way to the coast and remained there until the final Japanese defender was either killed or arrested.
Other works that he has written include “History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II” (1952, Nautical & Aviation) and “On to Westward: the Battles of Saipan and Iwo Jima” (1945, Nautical & Aviation), both of which have been lauded as being among the most remarkable books of reporting on World War II.
Mr. Sherrod was also a co-author of the text of “Apollo Expeditions to the Moon” (1975) and “Life’s Picture History of World War II” (1950). Both of these works were published from 1950 to 1975. After working for Time and Life magazines and later for The Saturday Evening Post, Mr. Sherrod became the managing editor of The Post from 1955 to 1962 and then became the editor of The Post in 1962.
He had previously covered the Pacific and Far East for Time and Life publications. During the years 1965 and 1966, he served as a vice president of the Curtis Publishing Company until his retirement. In 1929, Robert Lee Sherrod received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia.
He was born and raised in Thomas County, Georgia, and he attended the university. He began his career in journalism by working for newspapers before joining Time Inc. in 1935. He was instrumental in the establishment of Time’s Washington office and went on to cover the Pacific war zone for both Time and Life.
