Memorial Day’s nearing prompts thoughts

Lisa (Miller) Davis
GUEST COLUMNIST
Published: May 22, 2008

When I was on active duty in the Air Force I had an opportunity to be stationed overseas in Germany near the French border. My family and I often visited the Lorraine American Cemetery in France. Staff Sgt. Andrew Miller is buried there. I will share with you his story while fighting near the French German Border during World War II. It comes from a citation he received.

Sgt. Miller performed heroic deeds from Nov. 16-29, 1944 during his company’s drive to cross into Germany from France. He was leading his squad on Nov. 16 at Woippy, when a crossfire from German machine guns pinned down his unit.

He ordered his men to remain undercover while he went forward alone. He entered a building that housed one of the machine guns and forced five Germans to surrender at bayonet point. He then took the second machine gun single-handedly by hurling grenades into the enemy position, killing two, wounding three more, and taking two additional prisoners.

During the next day near Metz, France when his platoon was confused by heavy explosives and the withdrawal of friendly tanks, he fearlessly remained behind, armed with only an automatic rifle and exchanged gunfire with a German machine gun until he silenced it. His quick action in covering his comrades gave the platoon the time to regroup and carry on the fight.

On Nov. 19, Sgt. Miller led an attack on a large enemy barracks. Receiving cover from his squad, he crawled to a barracks window, climbed in, and captured six riflemen occupying the room. His men, then the entire company, followed through the same window, secured the building, and took 75 prisoners.

Sgt. Miller then volunteered with three comrades to capture Gestapo officers who were preventing the surrender of more German troops in another building. He ran a gauntlet of machine gun fire and was lifted through a window. Inside, he found himself covered by a pistol but he persuaded the Gestapo officer confronting him to surrender.

Early the next morning, when strong hostile forces were punishing his company with heavy fire, Sgt. Miller assumed the task of destroying a well-placed machine gun. He was knocked down by a rifle grenade as he climbed through an open stairway in a house, but pressed on with a bazooka to find an advantageous spot from which to launch his rocket.

He discovered that he could fire from the roof, which also drew tremendous enemy fire. Facing tremendous odds, he moved into the open, coolly taking aim and scored a direct hit on the hostile emplacement, wreaking such havoc that the enemy troops became completely demoralized and began surrendering by the score.

The following day, in Metz France, he captured 12 more prisoners and silenced and took out an enemy gun after volunteering for a hazardous mission in advance of his company’s position.

On Nov. 29, as his company climbed a hill overlooking a small village called Kerprich-Hemmerdolf, enemy fire pinned the unit to the ground. Sgt. Miller, on his own initiative, pressed ahead with his squad past the company’s leading element to meet the surprised resistance.

His men stood up and advanced deliberately firing as the went. Inspired by Sgt. Miller’s leadership, the platoon followed, and then another platoon arose and grimly closed with the Germans. The enemy action was smothered, but at the cost of Sgt. Miller’s life.

Sgt. Miller — and others like him — is the true meaning of Memorial Day. Sgt. Andrew Miller was awarded the Medal of Honor in September 1945.5.

(Guest columnist Lisa [Miller] Davis is vice commander of American Legion Post 157 in Madison County and lives in Locust Dale. She is no relation to the Sgt. Miller referenced in the preceding column. She retired in 2004 as a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel after 28 years service. The Lexington, Ky. native spent her career in the weapons field, commanded three squadrons and spent 22 years in Europe. Contact her via e-mail at
.)