RE: SSG Robert Miller - Someone You Should Have Known (Blackfive, February 5th, 2008) RE: Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller Official US Army Site (US Army, October 5th, 2010) Photos courtesy of the Miller family and the US Army From an excellent article in the Chicago Tribune (SSG Miller was from Wheaton, a western suburb of Chicago): ...The second of eight kids, Miller, 24, was a driven staff sergeant who seemed destined for his fateful mission from the time he took his first steps at 7 months old. As a Boy Scout, he was thrilled to go camping and hiking. In eighth grade, he wrote a poem about the valor of the Army in World War II. In high school, he was a star gymnast, played sousaphone in the Wheaton North marching band, loved Hemingway and deep-dish pizza and was grateful for the D he got in Latin. The owner of the gym where Miller worked trusted him with keys to the place when Miller was 16. His homecoming date said she never felt more secure than when he was with her... It's a well written piece. We greatly admire his spirit as evidenced by his thoughts on dying in combat: ..."If I get killed on this mission," Miller said to his friend Staff Sgt. Nick McGarry a few hours before the patrol, "I don't want to be remembered for dying. I want to be remembered for who I was." What Miller showed that morning about who he was will be recognized Wednesday at the White House... Photos courtesy of the Miller family and the US Army Tomorrow (October 6th), SSG Robert "Robbie" Miller will be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions in Afghanistan. Here's the offical narrative of what he did to earn the award: Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller - Medal of Honor Operation Enduring Freedom Official Narrative Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, U.S. Army, heroically distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous conduct in the face of the enemy of the U.S. while serving as the Weapons Sergeant, Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3312, Special Operations Task Force–33, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force–Afghanistan, Forward Operating Base Naray, Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 25, 2008, ODA 3312 conducted a combat reconnaissance patrol to Gowardesh, Afghanistan, to confirm or deny enemy activity and/or insurgents presence in the vicinity of Chen Khar in order to clear the valley of insurgent safe havens. This area was known to have several high- and medium-value targets massing and operating freely in the valley and three surrounding villages. The area of operations was also symbolically and strategically important because it was a Russian-era chokepoint, provided the enemy a tactical advantage due to its high ground and deep valley summits, and was a well-known insurgent stronghold. Insurgents had prepared reinforced rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fighting positions with fortified overhead cover throughout the valley. They also amassed weapons caches comprised of RPGs, PKM medium machine guns, AK-47 assault rifles, ammunition, and food stores in the event of a protracted engagement. The enemy’s confidence and morale was at a two-year high following a series of tactical successes against Afghan National Security Forces. The experience garnered from these battles, continued refinement of sophisticated tactics, techniques and procedures (including ambushes) and the expansion of insurgent forces in the region threatened the Coalition's ability to operate freely in this key terrain. Insurgents were confident in their ability to win any battle against Coalition Forces on their own terrain. As the combined ODA and ANA convoy neared its objective, ODA 3312 was forced to halt twice to dismount and explode insurgent-emplaced boulders along its route. Staff Sgt. Miller and other members of ODA 3312 recognized this tactict as a potential precursor to an insurgent ambush and immediately heightened security. Recognizing the historical enemy tactic used to canalize and ambush Coalition forces, the detachment dismounted an overwatch element. Staff Sgt. Miller led the overwatch elements as the threat of imminent danger increased. The rocky, snow-packed terrain, freezing temperatures and a fierce wind chill further exacerbated the ODA’s movement to the objective. The ODA’s only Pashto speaker, Staff Sgt. Miller took charge of the dismounted element and assembled partnered ANA forces to ensure they could move under cover. Once ODA 3312 arrived at the target compound, Staff Sgt. Miller led the ANA and established security around the ODA’s ground mobility vehicles. After security was established, the team confirmed through the employment of an unmanned aerial vehicle that 15 to 20 insurgents were congregating and occupying prepared fighting positions in the targeted compound. Maintaining his situational awareness, Staff Sgt. Miller immediately jumped into his vehicle's turret and engaged the enemy with its mounted MK19 40mm automatic grenade launcher. From his vantage point in the turret of his vehicle, Staff Sgt. Miller expertly described the engagement area to the joint tactical air controller and identified insurgent positions by engaging them with his MK19. As a result of his superior tactical skills, he positively marked the enemy while simultaneously describing the area to the JTAC. Without his expert marksmanship and accurate description of the area, the JTAC would not have been able to provide accurate grid locations for close air support. As noted by the team’s JTAC, Staff Sgt. Miller’s involvement in the employment of CAS was largely responsible for the accuracy of four 30mm strafe runs and the emplacement of three precision-guided GBU38 munitions on the objective. As a result of his efforts, two A-10 Warthogs and two F-15 Strike Eagles dealt lethal effects onto numerous enemy positions and disrupted their ability to maneuver. As Staff Sgt. Miller continued to neutralize numerous insurgent positions, his MK19 sustained a catastrophic malfunction, which eliminated it for the duration of the battle. Without hesitation, Staff Sgt. Miller quickly transitioned from the MK19 to an M240B machine gun mounted on the rear of his vehicle and continued to effectively engage the enemy. Understanding the peril of...
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Oct 05 2010, 04:54 AM
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BLACKFIVE