Glenn Miller was born Alton Glenn Miller on March 1, 1904, in Clarinda, Iowa. His parents, Elmer and Mattie Lou Miller, soon moved their family from Iowa first to Nebraska, then to Missouri, and eventually, to Fort Morgan, Colorado.

Miller went on to become America's darling, with the Glenn Miller Orchestra's unique swing music sound. Miller's band displayed a distinctive resonance in their music.

Miller's musical lifestyle followed him to Montgomery in December 1942, where after transferring to the Army Air Force, Captain Glenn Miller served initially as assistant special services officer for the Southeast Training Center at Maxwell Field, he played trombone with the Rhythmaires, a 15-piece dance band. The band played in both Montgomery and service clubs and recreation halls on Maxwell.

Miller also appeared on both WAPI (Birmingham, Ala.) and WSFA radio (Montgomery), promoting the activities of civil service women aircraft mechanics employed at Maxwell.

Everything happens for a reason. That is an amazing thing to say, but it is most definitely true. There is significance and meaning in everything we do and with every person we encounter. I say it all the time but it was proven to me over this past weekend without a shadow of a doubt.

New Year's weekend my wife and I and another couple - whom I grew up ghost hunting with stayed at a beautiful historic Cedar Ridge bed and breakfast in Marion, Ala.

During this time of year, so many of us drift back to childhood memories. It's a season of giving. It's also a season of remembering.

On December 17, 1981, I was seven years old. My grandfather had been in the hospital for a while, and we just received word that he should be going home soon. It was around 8 p.m. and I remember just as if it was yesterday, because my view on life and death was forever changed.

There was a cot in the hospital room, which I was sitting on. My grandmother and mother walked downstairs with some other family members, and I was alone with my grandfather. While sitting there, the most dramatic moment of my life unfolded before my eyes.

As he lay in the bed watching tv, the feeling in the room changed. I felt overwhelmed by the sensation that we weren't alone. It's not a feeling I can describe clearly, even now as an adult.