I Kept My Word: The Personal Promise Between a World War II Army Private and His Captain About What Really Happened to Glenn Miller [Paperback]

Clarence B. Wolfe (Author), Susan Goodrich Giffin (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 2006

Click this link to read a review of I Kept My Word. Many people have stepped into the spotlight, claiming they knew where and how Glenn Miller died, but none of those people were in Clarence Wolfe's shoes. He was there, manning the computer that tracked enemy aircraft off the coast of England. So was his captain, who ordered that the secret of Miller's demise remain between them. In the 62 years since that fateful day in 1944, the secret indeed remained between the private and his commander. Now that the captain is no longer alive, however, Clarence Wolfe believes it is his responsibility to history to let the secret be known. He has done so through personal pain and rivers of tears, tears that flow easily whenever he listens to the great hits of the bandleader whose special sound swept across radio airwaves around the world and softened the blows of a deadly war.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Clarence B. Wolfe grew up the youngest of 11 children, living dirt poor on a farm in southern Indiana. Whoever said, "you can take the man out of the small town, but you can't take the small town out of the man" must have known Clarence Wolfe. Whether he was living in Detroit, Michigan or Folkestone, England or Liège, Belgium, he was just an Indiana farm boy. Mr. Wolfe not only survived the most intense and costly military battle of all times - the Battle of the Bulge - he also survived harrowing days trapped behind enemy lines and a treacherous rescue. His many brushes with death during the war made him conclude that he survived for a purpose - to tell the true story about what really happened to Glenn Miller. That he kept this secret for 62 years bears great testimony to his personal integrity. A resident of Bloomington, Indiana, I Kept My Word is Mr. Wolfe's first book. Susan Goodrich Giffin, a freelance writer/editor and author of several books, resides in Dearborn, Michigan. For more information about books written or edited by Susan Giffin, check out her AuthorHouse web site, www.authorsusangiffin.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 140 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (October 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 142596950X
• ISBN-13: 978-1425969509
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #648,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Skip this book, February 10, 2008

By 

topcat44 (central Indiana) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: I Kept My Word: The Personal Promise Between a World War II Army Private and His Captain About What Really Happened to Glenn Miller (Paperback)

This book is described as an explanation of the mystery and cover-up surrounding the disappearance of the famous bandleader, Glenn Miller during WWII. It is a perfect example of "don't judge a book by its cover". The book is mostly about the memories of the 82-year-old author and describes his conquests as a 20-year old soldier on, and off the battlefield. The descriptions were typical "old war" type stories and were often sarcastic and or crude. His discriptions of all the women who were throwing themselves at him became tiresome. It seems that his connection with Glenn Miller's death was just a way to spur interest in what whould otherwise have been a book of the memoirs of Chester B. Wolfe. The actual information about Glenn Miller could have made a short magazine article. Don't be fooled. If you want to know about Glenn Miller, skip this book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars If I could have rated this zero stars, I would have!, November 20, 2008

By 

meiringen "meiringen" (the Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Kept My Word: The Personal Promise Between a World War II Army Private and His Captain About What Really Happened to Glenn Miller (Paperback)

This book is terrible, and IT DID NOT HAPPEN AS HE SAYS.

This man feels guilt about something he did during WWII, but he did not cause the death of the popular bandleader Glenn Miller. The facts just don't add up.

This book has been disproved by the Miller archives, located at the University of Colorado. Don't bother with this book!

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put this book down, February 14, 2008

By 

Swabian (Green Bay, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Kept My Word: The Personal Promise Between a World War II Army Private and His Captain About What Really Happened to Glenn Miller (Paperback)

This is a fantastic autobiography of one man's experience as a soldier during WWII. When I got this book, I just couldn't put it down. I literally read it cover-to-cover, non-stop, the first time through. Later, I would pick it back up and start reading some portions over again. I just couldn't get enough.

Private Wolfe's stories are very emotional. Some made me laugh. Some made me cry. His story of how he was rescued from behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge scared me to death. This book really made me think about what these veterans went through during the war. It is no wonder that many of these veterans did not want to talk about their war experiences. I am grateful that Clarence Wolfe took the time to share his story with us.

If you like soldier's autobiographies about their war experiences, I highly recommend this one.