#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Franklin Douglas “Doug” Miller

Franklin Douglas “Doug” Miller was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in January 1945 and lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He joined the Army in February 1965. After completing basic training and advanced infantry training, he completed the Army Special Forces course at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Miller deployed to Vietnam with the 1st Cavalry Division in March 1966, and after two years of service, he transferred into the Special Forces. He was promoted to staff sergeant and was subsequently assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces in South Vietnam, which sent men to patrol Laos and Cambodia to gather intelligence on the movement of Northern Vietnamese troops.

While Miller led a seven-man team on one of these long-range reconnaissance patrol missions in January 1970, one team member tripped a hostile booby trap that injured four of the seven men. Miller responded by administering first aid to the wounded and directing his men into a secure position to prepare for the attack. He then separated from his team and met the incoming platoon-sized enemy force of 30 troops alone, which prompted them to withdraw in disorder after he repelled two of their attacks.

Miller successfully arranged the evacuation of his patrol and led his men through the jungle to a bomb crater where their helicopter would land. The enemy launched an attack by an automatic weapon and rocket-propelled grenades, which kept the helicopter from reaching them. He led his team in defense against these attackers, despite being wounded along with the rest of his team. The attack resulted in four of his team members being killed.

For his actions in combat, Miller was awarded a Medal of Honor, and he returned to Vietnam shortly after being handed the medal by President Nixon. He retired from the Army in 1992 as a command sergeant major. Throughout his military career, he also received a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, six Purple Hearts and an Air Medal. He became a benefits counselor for VA after retiring from service.

Miller died in June 2000. A tombstone to commemorate his service is located at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. His ashes were scattered in New Mexico.

We honor his service.

---

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

---

Writer: Kim McAdams

Editors: Annabelle Colton, Theresa Lyon

Researcher: Jake Stanard, David Deprez

Graphics: Yasmine Pierce