The Right Kind of War

This impressive first novel is based on McCormick's WW 11 experience with the elite Marine Raiders, later consolidated as the 4th Marines. Unpretentious prose and a straightforward narrative style highlight the grim realities of combat against Japanese forces in the Solomons, on Guam, and above all, on Okinawa. Episodes set outside battle areas convincingly depict Raider training and attitudes. Pvt. Moe, the narrator, and his comrades are products of the Depression, more likely to have served in the CCC than to have graduated from high school. They do not question their roles in the right kind of war, waged without pity or hatred against an absolute enemy. McCormick's understated prose ultimately enhances his presentation of the value system promulgated in the Marine Corps. By urging Marines to objectivize the enemy, thereby encouraging detachment, they brought about the Corps's evolution into a warrior elite--America's samurai. 25,000 first printing. (Oct.)