William E. Butterworth
| W. E. B. Griffin | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Edmund Butterworth III November 10, 1929 Newark, New Jersey, United States |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable works | |
| Spouse | Emma Macalik Butterworth her death in 2003 |
| Website | |
| webgriffin |
|
William Edmund Butterworth III (born November 10, 1929), better known by his pen name W. E. B. Griffin, is a writer of military and detective fiction with 38 novels in six series published under that name. He has also published under 11 other pseudonyms and three versions of his real name (W. E. Butterworth, William E. Butterworth, and most recently William E. Butterworth III).
Griffin grew up in New York City and Philadelphia. He joined the United States Army in 1946. His military occupation was counter-intelligence and in this capacity he served in the Constabulary in Germany, thus earning the Army of Occupation Medal. One of Griffin's duties was delivering food to German general officers, and their families, including the widow of would-be Hitler assassin Claus von Stauffenberg. His exposure to German military and civilian aristocracy supplied much of the inspiration for such Griffin creations as Oberst Graf von Greiffenberg, who appears in several of the Brotherhood of War novels.
After completing his active duty military service, Griffin attended Philipps-Universität Marburg at Marburg-an-der-Lahn. His college days were cut short in 1951 when he was recalled to serve in the Korean War.
In Korea he first served as an official Army war correspondent with the 223rd Infantry Regiment, then as public information officer for U.S. X Corps, which included the 1st Marine Division. Griffin received the Combat Infantryman Badge for service at the front lines. His knowledge of combat and garrison life and his friendships with military personnel from different services would well serve his writing. 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. Griffin is modest about his own service. He once told a Barnes & Noble interviewer:
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Wikipedia