Fallen Wheaton (Ilinois) soldier to be awarded Medal of Honor
A Wheaton North graduate is being posthumously awarded the nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions in Afghanistan in 2008.
The White House announced Thursday that Army Staff Sgt. Robert Miller, who died while in a close-range fire fight on Jan. 25, 2008, would receive the rare award.
President Barack Obama will present the award to Miller’s parents, Phil and Maureen, on Oct. 6 at the White House.
“Once it started to sink in we are very proud,” Maureen Miller said. “We are proud that he is our son and of the training that he got from the special forces.”
Miller received the award for his “immeasurable courage and uncommon valor” while saving the lives of his team of American soldiers and 15 Afghan National Army soldiers during the fire fight, according to a White House statement.
The rare distinction will be only the third Medal of Honor awarded for action in Afghanistan.