For those of you in the SOF community, it should come to no surprise why we're featuring him, for those of you that are not, his name is Franklin D. Miller. A North Carolina native who enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1966, and within a span of 2 years, Miller was running covert operations in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia with SOG.
On January 5, 1970, serving as team leader of an American-Vietnamese long-range reconnaissance patrol operating deep behind enemy lines, one of the team members tripped a booby trap which wounded 4 soldiers. SSgt. Miller quickly rushed towards his men and administered first aid to the wounded. Within a few minutes, SSgt. Miller saw 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 and remained alone to meet the attack head on. SSgt. Miller single-handedly repulsed 2 determined attacks and caused them to withdraw in disorder. He rejoined his team, established contact with a FAC 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. As the evacuation helicopter hovered over the crater to pick up the patrol, the enemy launched a savage attack against the beleaguered team, driving off the rescue helicopter. Miller, despite being shot in the chest, he drove back the enemy in its attempt to overrun the small patrol. Although every man in his patrol was either dead or wounded, SSgt. Miller held off 30 North Vietnamese troops until nightfall, when a relief patrol rescued him and two other survivors. For his actions, SSgt. Franklin D. Miller was awarded the Medal of Honor. When Pres. Nixon asked where he wanted to be stationed next, he replied: "Vietnam". And so it happened. After the war, he became an instructor and retired as a CSM in 1992. He would often visit SF trainees in Ft. Bragg and shared his credo: "Share your fears with yourself and courage with others, you will inspire people to do things that are incredible." Miller passed away in June of 2000. #stayzero #zerofoxtrot #hero #badass #military