𝗔𝗥𝗠𝗬 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪
Robert James Miller was born in Pennsylvania, the fall of 1983. He was the second of eight children of Phil and Maureen Miller. He was named after his two grandfathers, Robert Miller and James Morgan, both World War II veterans. Rob was proud of his family’s service to our nation, going back to the Revolutionary War. Rob was a very active child, taking his first steps at only 7 months, and he never slowed down. His first friends were the children of Cambodian refugees. The stories they told about the horrors they experienced during Pol Pot’s years made a deep impression on Rob, and he understood at an early age that there were some very bad people in the world.
When Rob was 5 years old, the family moved to the Chicago suburb of Wheaton, ll. He attended kindergarten at Emerson Elementary School, and then first through eighth grades at St. Michael School in Wheaton. For several years he continued the gymnastics lessons he had begun in Harrisburg, and then moved on to baseball, basketball and track, while participating in Boy Scouts and playing trumpet in band. Rob always had a lively curiosity about the world, and was particularly interested in history. While dinnertime conversations too often involved blow-by-blow accounts of the latest Simpsons episode, his parents would at times share experiences of their time spent in the Soviet Union and Berlin during the Cold War, and this seemed to deepen Rob’s sense of appreciation for American freedom.
Rob would go the extra mile when something caught his attention. For an eighth grade history assignment, he was required to interview a veteran. He could have taken the easy route and ask his father a few questions about his job as a translator in Berlin. Instead, Rob contacted his parents’ former chaplain who had briefly served as a medic in the German Navy in occupied France during the Second World War. He received extra credit for his efforts.
Rob’s interest in gymnastics was rekindled when he began attending Wheaton North High School. He spent hours every day in the gym and was co-captain of the school’s team during his junior and senior years, leading them to fifth place in the state tournament. Rob helped pay for gymnastics lessons by working at a local gym, first as a janitor late at night, and then teaching the younger students. Because of his patience with children (something he learned from watching his younger siblings), Rob was entrusted with the special task of instructing several children with autism. For three years, Rob continued with band, switching from trumpet to tuba. He developed an appreciation for classical music during this time. Rob followed his passions, which could include learning Latin and other foreign languages, but those passions did not always include doing the kind of homework that would result in good grades.
Through all this time, Rob showed an interest in the military. In high school, he planned on applying to the Naval Academy, but changed course when he realized that he would not be accepted because of his colorblindness. Eventually joining the military was still part of his plan, and this resolve was strengthened after the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
After high school, Rob enrolled at the University of Iowa for the 2002-2003 school year, hoping to get onto the school gymnastics team. Though unsuccessful, he still worked out with the team and helped out at meets. He related that after one meet, as he and several others were cleaning up and putting things away, a couple of students crumpled up the American flag that had been hanging up and threw it in a closet. Rob made them retrieve it, and then gave them a lesson on how to properly fold the American flag.
Rob enlisted in the Army in August 2003, shortly after his family moved to Oviedo, Fla. With the North Carolina Outer Banks only a few hours away from his base at Fort Bragg, he became an avid surfer. When Rob would visit home in Oviedo, he would promptly head off to Patrick Air Force Base or New Smyrna when wave reports were good. He maintained his spirited, carefree manner throughout his Army training and experiences. On one of his last visits home, Rob and his mother drove down to Patrick to watch the Space Shuttle come in for a landing. On the trip back to Oviedo, Rob drove his stick shift pickup truck with a drink in one hand, frequently adjusting his iPod with the other, while steering with his knees. When his mother would protest, he would just put his head back, laugh, and say, “I know what I’m doing!”
At Rob’s memorial service at Fort Bragg, one of his Army friends said that when you went to Rob’s condo, you never knew if you would find him cooking a gourmet meal with classical music in the background, or cleaning a weapon with hard rock blaring. Rob had a rare zest for life, he was a loyal friend, a caring brother and son, and a great patriot.
Staff Sgt. Miller enlisted as a Special Forces trainee Aug. 14, 2003. He graduated from Infantry Basic Training and Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga., Jan. 6. Miller graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course Sept. 26, 2004, and the Special Forces Weapons Sergeant Course March 4, 2005. Miller received his coveted Special Forces Tab and was promoted to Sergeant after graduating from the Special Operations French Language Training Course, Sept. 30, 2005. That same day he was assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Force Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C. He deployed to Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom from August 2006 to March 2007. During this deployment, Miller received two Army Commendation Medals for Valor for his courage under fire. Miller returned to Afghanistan for his second tour in October 2007, where he served as a Weapons Sergeant
THE BATTLE
JAN. 25, 2008 | KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN
3RD SPECIAL FORCES GROUP (AIRBORNE)
The Special Forces crest insignia was adopted in 1960 and approved as the Special Forces regimental designator in 1984. Its design reflects both the lineage and mission of Special Forces. The encircling scroll which arches at the base bears the Special Forces motto “DE OPPRESSOR LIBER” which is translated from Latin as “To Free the Oppressed”.
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 insurgent’s presence in the vicinity of Chen Khar 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 difficulty moving to the objective. As 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 the battle and the composition of his force, Staff Sgt. Miller moved from his firing position and began emplacing ANA soldiers in positions to provide overwatch, detect movement from the high ground, observe the rear of the patrol and provide security to the flank of the ground assault. His actions provided security for his team and enabled them to maintain their focus on enemy targets. Once ample security was established, Staff Sgt. Miller re-engaged the enemy. During a lull in fire, Staff Sgt. Miller dismounted his GMV a second time to repair a malfunctioning Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle.
Upon completion of the initial contact and CAS, the ODA commander directed a dismounted patrol to conduct battle damage assessment and a post-CAS strike assessment of the destroyed insurgent positions. Sensing the need to provide the ANA additional assistance, the ODA commander charged Staff Sgt. Miller with the responsibility to lead the partnered ANA force in an advisory role.
With the proficiency of an already-proven combat leader, Staff Sgt. Miller briefed the ANA platoon leadership on the scheme of maneuver onto the objective in their native Pashto language. Staff Sgt. Miller established rapport and instilled confidence in the ANA platoon leadership and its soldiers despite being partnered with the ANA platoon only 30 minutes prior to the mission.