Noble Warrior: The Story of Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret.), Medal of Honor

Military history enthusiasts will enjoy Livingston's eyewitness accounts of the Vietnam War in his first book. Hailing from rural Georgia, Livingston left his family's farm to join the Marine Corps in 1962 after receiving his draft notice. He knew he "wanted to be with a very aggressive outfit," and this gung-ho attitude, combined with a meticulously eye for detail (some episodes are described down to the hour), informs the accounts of his wartime experiences in Vietnam (for which he won the Medal of Honor) and the Philippines, and his Marine Corps "twilight years" in California, Kansas City, and New Orleans. Livingston spent most of his life in the military and it shows; he knows his stuff and speaks with the voice of authority. Though he clearly benefited from the research assistance of Heaton, who served under his command as a scout sniper, and Lewis, who holds a master's degree in international relations from American Military University, the prose is flat and a liberal use of jargon, clichés, and a tendency toward political pronouncements unrelated to Vietnam distract from an otherwise engaging tale. (Aug.)