Secret Life
Oldham
resident Miller pens
new book in World War II era
Book
signing planned
at Slugger Field in November
By
Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
LA GRANGE, Ky. (November 2010) – Jim Miller
has written a book based loosely around his father’s secret life
– the secret life of Army Counter Intelligence agents, that
is.
 |
Miller’s father, Jim Miller Sr., had a colorful career
in the U.S. Army. During World War II, an organization was created in
the army known as the Counter Intelligence. But not a lot is known about
it because it was very secretive, said Miller.
His new book, “Counter Intelligence,” is a fictionalized account
of Army Counter Intelligence Corps. agents and their exploits in North
Africa and Europe. The book uses Miller’s father’s name, “but
not his stories,” he said.
Miller was only 6 when his father gave brief glimpses into his life
as a Counter Intelligence agent. “I’ve never heard others
talk about it. I regret hearing older family members’ stories and
not writing them down.”
He remembers being fascinated when his father would relate these tales,
but can’t remember the details. When writing the book, he called
several agents’ widows but found that “not one widow had credible
information I could use.”
At the time, the agents had a “super secret plan, but very little
support,” said Miller, 67. The 223-page book covers many largely
ignored operations, including the Southern D-Day invasion of France,
which took place on the French Rivera. This operation was comparable
to the Normandy Campaign but not as contested, he said.
Miller will hold a book signing for “Counter Intelligence”
from 5-7 p.m. on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, at Browning’s Brewery
at Slugger Field in Louisville.
Also contained in the book are stories about raids on Nazi concentration
camps. Such stories were repressed in America, said Miller, because
President Franklin Roosevelt was concerned with anti-Semitism. Miller
includes information about covert operations to discover and recover
stolen Nazi war treasures.
“The first story deals with North Africa,” said Miller, who
is originally from Monticello, Ky. He spins a tale about how agents
successfully snuck behind German lines and stole documents.
This is not Miller’s first published work. He wrote “Heavy
Jets” in 2006 based in part upon his experiences of flying 21 different
airplanes during his 24 years in the U.S. Air Force. The book was published
just as the C-141 jet was retired, he said.
The C-141 was the first jet transport that could deliver a package around
the world within 24 hours. “It changed the world. It established
the United States as a global military power.”
After retiring from the Air Force, Miller worked for UPS for 20 years
and settled five miles south of La Grange. “I spent my life in
airports. I wanted a book I could pick up and read a chapter quickly
before stopping again.” So he penned “Counter Intelligence,”
which he labeled “a quick read.”
• Published by iUniverse, “Counter Intelligence” can be purchased online for $15.95 at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It can be purchased from E-readers for $9.99.