When I was in the legislature, he had the honor of representing the birthplace of legendary band leader Glenn Miller - Clarinda, IA. Miller's music continues to attract the attention of the world, as does the mystic around his death. I would attend the Glenn Miller Festival yearly in Clarinda (info here) and the town was PACKED with visitors and performers from around the world.
Now, the mystery surrounding the airplane crash and disappearance of the famed big band leader may be solved.
On December 15, 1944 Miller hopped in a Norseman airplane in England to go across the English Channel to Paris to perform for WWII weary troops. He never made it. The plane disappeared and authorities have been looking for the bandleader and the plane ever since.
The search may be over as a U.S. team is investigating of a plane found 32 years ago may be the Norseman. The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) is following up a claim from a fisherman who said he snagged a plane in his nets in 1987. He then let it drop back in the ocean.
The new search is due to the man seeing a photo of Miller’s plane and realizing it was the same type. Ric Gillespie of TIGHAR says the remains of the craft may be hard to find, but they are going to look regardless.
Want to walk down memory lane with the timeless music of Glenn Miller? Streaming makes that possible. Click below.