WEB Griffin is the prolific author of epic military novels that have sold over forty five million copies. He has been praised by the Phoenix Gazette as the “best chronicler of the U.S. military ever to put pen to paper”. Yet, when he was asked by an interviewer about his own military experiences, he replied, “My own military background is wholly un-distinguished. I was a sergeant. What happened was that I was incredibly lucky in getting to be around some truly distinguished senior officers, sergeants, and spooks”
Griffin’s Background
Born in 1929, Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. His mother was Pennsylvania Dutch and Griffin referred to her as a “Hessian” He attributed this heritage as one of the reasons for his success in writing about Germans in WWII.
After enlisting in the US Army in 1946, Griffin was stationed in Germany as part of the Army of Occupation. He was assigned to the staff of Major General ID White whom Griffin describes as “one of our great generals.” These experiences formed the basis of what would become Griffin’s first book in his “Brotherhood of War” series.
In 1951, Griffin was recalled to active duty in the Korean War, and after he was released from military service in 1953, he began his literary career. He published many books under pseudonyms, but his best known works appeared in the 1980’s.
The bestselling “Brotherhood of War” series began in 1982 with the publication of “The Lieutenants.” Eight more books followed in this series. “The Corps” series was introduced in 1986; the “Honor Bound” series began in 1993. His latest series “The Presidential Agent” was introduced in 2005. Another series, “Badge of Honor”, chronicles the lives of Philadelphia policemen. Writing under the name Alex Baldwin, Griffin began publishing the “Men at War” novels in 1985.
Theme Elements in the Novels
Throughout all of his novels, Griffin employs some common elements. Chief among them:
The Rich Boy Grows Up – In each series, a young man enters military life from a background of great wealth and privilege. Throughout the series, the young man performs many foolish acts which nearly get him thrown out of the military, yet his heroic actions save him. Sometimes he may even throw off the uniform for a short period of time, but the bugler’s charge always returns him to a place of duty in the service of his country.
Minimal Battlefield Combat- While Griffin’s novels do not normally paint a vivid battlefield picture, they don’t ignore it either. In books five and six of “The Corps” series, the battle of Guadalcanal is depicted in horrid detail. But most of Griffin’s novels have action that takes place in social settings or military settings where the characters plan for the combat that will occur on the battlefield. The Corps” frequently depicts General Douglas MacArthur discussing World War II strategy with the fictional Brigadier General Pickering at MacArthur’s Brisbane headquarters.
Strong Women. Never central characters in a Griffin novel, women, nonetheless, are usually portrayed as strong, resourceful and clever. In “The Corps” series, the Chinese wife of Gunnery Sergeant Ernest Zimmerman stays alive, and saves the life of another military wife, during the Japanese Occupation of China by escaping through the Gobi Desert.
Brief Series Recap
The Brotherhood of War – Nine novels that trace the exploits of U.S. Army officers. The time period is from the end of WWII to the final days of the Vietnam War.
Rich Boy – Craig Lowell – From a family who “owns half of Manhattan Island”, Lowell enters the series as an enlisted man and rises to the rank of Colonel. He is awarded the Army Cross in Korea.
The Corps – This series chronicles Marine aviators, Raiders, grunts and officers from the beginning of WWII to the middle of the Korean War.
Rich Boy – Pick Pickering – His father owns a shipping company and his mother is the heir to a chain of luxury hotels. Pickering becomes a marine aviator who is awarded the Navy Cross.
Honor Bound – A team of OSS agents are recruited from the Army, Navy and Marines and stationed in neutral Argentina during World War II. Their job is to sabotage Nazi plots in South America and ensure Argentina does not join the Axis forces.
Rich Boy – Cletus Frade – His father is described as one of the richest men in Argentina, and when he is assassinated by German agents, Cletus inherits his wealth. Frade is a former Marine aviator turned OSS agent who is awarded the Navy Cross after surviving a suicidal mission.
The Presidential Agent– Set in the present-day, this series deals with contemporary counterterrorism in the wake of 9/11, and the rise of Russia under Vladimir Putin.
Rich Boy – Charlie Castillo – A West Point graduate, Castillo is the most mature of Griffin’s rich boys. His father’s family owns a large chunk of Texas, while his deceased mother leaves him a European media empire.
Sources:
http://www.webgriffin.com/home.html
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/writers/writerdetails.asp?userid=Ql6fa6lBwD&cid;=883328#bio
The Novels of WEB Griffin
