King of the Battlefield is an autobiography written by Mark Pittman shortly before his death from cancer in 2023. He details his midwestern upbringing, relationships, and education. Planning to follow his father into an academic career, his life is interrupted by the war in Vietnam. When he returns from a tour of duty in the Marine Corps, he is a different person. He spends the rest of his life grappling with these changes and in a love-hate relationship with the system that created them. Written by Kathleen DeBoer, Mark Pittman's widow Dec. 2023