United States Army Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller was born on October 14, 1983 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and served in the Army from 2003-2008. His assigned unit was the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).
In his twenty-four years, Staff Sergeant Miller never once shied away from a challenge. He was an avid gymnast as a young man, and he continued to spend time in the gymnasium when he went to college in Iowa.
After the attacks on September 11th, however, Miller decided to join the military. He had wanted to join the Naval Academy after graduating high school, but he was barred from admission because he was colorblind. Not one to be denied, he decided to join the Army instead.
Miller excelled as an enlisted man after he joined the Army in August of 2003. In September 2005, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), the same group he would be deployed to Afghanistan with 11 months later.
It was during Robert Miller’s second tour of duty, begun in October 2007, that he distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism and earned the Medal of Honor.
Staff Sergeant Miller patrolled on point with his Special Forces team when they came under an intense ambush from Taliban forces. From his position at the head of the column, Miller was less than 20 meters away from the enemy.
The team leader behind him was hit, suffering serious wounds. SSgt. Miller called for the rest of the team to get the team leader to safety. He then charged the enemy positions, one man versus nearly 100 ambushers.
He was hit in the torso, but continued advancing and shooting in order to draw the fire away from his team. Before he was mortally wounded, SSgt. Miller eliminated at least 10 Taliban and wounded many more.
His heroic actions allowed the successful withdrawal of his team from certain destruction, saving the lives of 7 Americans and 15 Afghan soldiers. In October 2010, President Obama posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to his parents in recognition of his sacrifice.
Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller gallantly defended his brothers-in-arm and his sacrifice will never be forgotten.🇺🇸
Rest in peace.
His duty was to serve, we will always remember.
Leave a Reply