Perspective

The author does not state his qualifications or motivation for writing the text and the usual cover blurb is absent in most editions of the book. The text is dedicated "[f]or all the snuffies of the Corps, and to the memory of my brother Marines..." (p. vii), establishing the author as a Marine. The emphasis within the text placed on technical descriptions of the M-60 machine gun—a weapon which Hathcock never uses in the biography—would appear to indicate the author was familiar with that weapon, though such is an assumption. The book is engaging and exciting, and the language used is very simple. This varies only insofar as a large amount of contemporary slang is presented, though individual words are often given an explanatory footnote; and military jargon is also present. More esoteric military terms are defined, but many are not. Readers unfamiliar...