Miller, Franklin D.
 

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces
Place and date: Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, 5 January 1970
Entered service at: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Born: 27 January 1945, Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Miller, 5th Special Forces Group, distinguished himself while serving as team leader of an American-Vietnamese long-range reconnaissance patrol operating deep within enemy controlled territory. Leaving the helicopter insertion point, the patrol moved forward on its mission. Suddenly, 1 of the team members tripped a hostile boobytrap which wounded 4 soldiers. S/Sgt. Miller, knowing that the explosion would alert the enemy, quickly administered first aid to the wounded and directed the team into positions across a small stream bed at the base of a steep hill. Within a few minutes, S/Sgt. Miller saw the lead element of what he estimated to be a platoon-size enemy force moving toward his location. Concerned for the safety of his men, he directed the small team to move up the hill to a more secure position. He remained alone, separated from the patrol, to meet the attack. S/Sgt. Miller singlehandedly repulsed 2 determined attacks by the numerically superior enemy force and caused them to withdraw in disorder. He rejoined his team, established contact with a forward air controller and arranged the evacuation of his patrol. However, the only suitable extraction location in the heavy jungle was a bomb crater some 150 meters from the team location. S/Sgt. Miller reconnoitered the route to the crater and led his men through the enemy controlled jungle to the extraction site. As the evacuation helicopter hovered over the crater to pick up the patrol, the enemy launched a savage automatic weapon and rocket-propelled grenade attack against the beleaguered team, driving off the rescue helicopter. S/Sgt. Miller led the team in a valiant defense which drove back the enemy in its attempt to overrun the small patrol. Although seriously wounded and with every man in his patrol a casualty, S/Sgt. Miller moved forward to again singlehandedly meet the hostile attackers. From his forward exposed position, S/Sgt. Miller gallantly repelled 2 attacks by the enemy before a friendly relief force reached the patrol location. S/Sgt. Miller's gallantry, intrepidity in action, and selfless devotion to the welfare of his comrades are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

(Franklin D. Miller passed away on June 30, 2000)

RIP, CSM.

Was just at your range facility this past week.

TR

Our very own Toby Todd and RT Vermont One Zero Doug Miller, photo taken at SOAR the year before Doug joined the Great Jumpmaster In The Sky. Sigh... I would rather that Doug be here with us than up there...

Jennifer sends

Here are some pictures that I dug up.

I just read his book that he co-authored was a good read!

I met his son when we named the range complex here at Fort Bragg. He was a very nice young man. His father (RIP) has more than one legacy!

The 4th pic-that's Doug's brother Walt behind and to Doug's left.

Belated RIP, SSG Miller

GB TFS

Two of our own are on the Wall of Honor in the state capitol building in Santa Fe, NM.

Great photos. Thanks for sharing.

Hiya Toby,

Thought I might eventually catch up with you here.:cool:

Don

I read this book too. I agree the book was good and interesting.

The book was awesome especially for those SF soldiers that are X-rays and do not understand leadership and it's importance to CSM Miller.

The post Vietnam MOH era for him was enlightening especially today as SF tries to reorganize and reconsolidate back into our original mission of UW. Many SF soldiers have a hard time changing environments from war to peacetime army environment. For SF there never really is a peacetime environment the places we go but the big army changes drastically and Franklin D. Miller struggled to function in it for awhile.

RIP CSM Miller