Griffin's knowledge of military jargon and administrative writing style shows when fictional orders and dispatches are incorporated in his novels. Butterworth IV (previously editor of Boys' Life, the magazine of the Boy Scouts of America) has co-authored some of his books. To date, he has some 130 fiction and non-fiction works to his credit. After his first three novels proved successful, he left this job to pursue writing full-time. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama. What happened was that I was incredibly lucky in getting to be around some truly distinguished senior officers, sergeants, and spooks.Īfter the end of the Korean Conflict, Griffin continued to work for the military in a civilian capacity as Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. He once told a Barnes & Noble interviewer: My own military background is wholly undistinguished. Many of his books are dedicated to fallen comrades who died in Korea or later on in Vietnam or while serving with the international peacekeeping force dispatched during the Lebanese Civil War. His knowledge of combat and garrison life and his friendships with military personnel from different services would well serve his writing.

Griffin received the Combat Infantryman Badge for service at the front lines. X Corps, which included the 1st Marine Division. His college days were cut short in 1951 when he was recalled to serve in Korea, first as an official Army war correspondent, then as public information officer for U.S. After completing his active duty military service, Griffin attended Philipps-Universität Marburg at Marburg-an-der-Lahn. His MOS was counter-intelligence and in this capacity he served in the Constabulary in Germany, thus earning the Army of Occupation Medal. Griffin grew up in New York City and Philadelphia.

The Spymasters by W.E.B. Griffin