Veterans Corner - Robert Miller

GARFIELD– Garfield American Legion member, Robert Miller joined the Navy in 1953.Going on to serve until 1957. Just a farm boy that grew up milking cows, he sees joining the service as a time in his life he was able to learn more about the world.

"In August I went to boot camp in San Diego California, serving as a tanker USS Elokomin 1st division in the front," Miller said, explaining that his complement had a little over 300 men. Miller set foot in several countries bordering the East Coast and Mediterranean Sea. "I worked for Voice of America, a broadcast in Russia," he added.

"I was standing watch one cold winter night wondering what to do with my life," Miller recalled, "I thought I wanted to go to college, so I applied and was accepted to Corpsman School." Miller would go on to study being a medic at Corpsman, located in Portsmouth Virginia.

When he enlisted he went in as a musician, the trombone, he explained. Going to Washington D.C. for school, "there were a whole lot of trombone players," he said "I wanted to be in the real Navy though." After which he was sent to Boston and went aboard a tanker. "That was the end of my musician career," he said, noting that sometimes he played well, but wasn't that great in competitions.

When Miller finished school he wanted to join the marines as a medic. "I was a gung-ho kid in those days," Miller said, noting that he was 3rd in his class, "there was only one opening for freight marines," he said, explaining that he would then end up stationed in Portsmouth Virginia the rest of his time.

"I spent most of my time in the central supply room making up things for people to do," he said "I did anything that was hard to do on that boat, climbing masts, keeping ropes straight, and learning to fuel at night. It was all good training."

Miller met his wife Grace, in the service while stationed in Virginia, who he was married to for 63 years. There were quite a few good memories Miller had from his time in the service, "I had an Uncle in Massachusetts who was an amateur historian who showed me all about the revolutionary war," he said.

"My time in the service was good and helped me grow up. Learned there's different ways of looking at the world," he said, adding that he enjoyed working on the ship, leaving even made him homesick for it.

"We stopped in Spain at Palma-Morocco," he said, noting that liberty means time off, "Greece, Italy, Algeria on our way home," he said. He had also been to France, "we weren't in any one place a very long time."

Since he had enlisted out of high school, the Korean war was winding down. The cease fire form was signed while Miller was in boot camp. Vietnam was starting as he was being discharged.

"The service was a good part of my life," he said, "I learned a lot about how to get along."

Miller would go into Vet School at Washington State University for 2 years, and work at the WSU Agri-Con grain elevators.

Robert Miller, 87, has three kids. One who lives in Remerton, Renton, and one in Colfax.