SGT John E. Miller 06-11-1966
US ARMY VIETNAM
2nd Battalion 28th Infantry Division | KIA: 6/11/1966 | Fall Creek Cemetery
Sgt. John Miller’s name is inscribed on panel 8E, line38 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. What people do not know, when they scroll past his name, is that he was the first Vietnam casualty of Hood County, and that he was buried with the Silver Star he was awarded for his actions that led to his death. He had actually, just 3 weeks before he was killed, escorted the body of a friend home, to the Rio Grande Valley. His family was able to spend 8 days with him before he returned to Vietnam. After returning, Sgt. Miller’s tour was going to be completed in July. Unfortunately, June 11th 1969 he was killed while placing his men’s lives before his own.
On a “routine” patrol, Miller’s platoon came upon an enemy position with a couple of machine gun emplacements. “Sgt. Miller, Without order and with complete disregard for his personal safety charged forward through the harrowing Viet Kong fire to engage the machine gun emplacements with hand grenades. Coming within 25 Meters of the first emplacement, "Sgt. Miller totally destroyed the enemy position.” Setting his sights on the second position and moving towards the enemy, Sgt. Miller was mortally wounded. His wife Bonnie, received the Silver Star Medal posthumously. She placed it with him at his burial.
He left behind a wife and two young boys.
