Lt. Robert L. Miller
1917-1943
Bombardier and Navigator 334th Bomber Group – 472nd. Squadron
Crashed in line of duty in a B-25 at What Cheer, Iowa, Oct. 31, 1943
From the Green Lake County Reporter, November 4th, 1943: “Mr. and Mrs. Edward Miller and daughter and this entire community was shocked Monday morning to learn of the sudden death of the first Green Lake man to give his life in the service of our country.”
That man was Lt. Robert L. Miller, age 26 who was the Bombardier and Navigator with the 334th Bomber Group, 472nd Squadron, a member of the crew of six aboard a B-25 that crashed at What Cheer, Iowa on October 31st, 1943.
The Des Moines Register reported the full account of how the crash occurred. Floyd Baird, First Pilot, had written to his parents that he might be flying over the home farm some day soon, as it was along their training route from South Carolina to an unnamed base. The paper reported that when “the ship appeared Sunday the family dashed outdoors.
Mr. and Mrs. Baird said they and their other son saw Floyd plainly and waved as the aircraft was only a short distance above the corn in the nearby fields.
As the plane pulled up to fly on, its tail assembly appeared to catch in the tree tops, they said, and part of the tail fell off.
The plane flew approximately one and a half miles and crashed. It burst into flames.”
Bob Miller of Green Lake, Wisconsin had been a lifelong resident of the small town. He worked at the State Bank after High School graduation, until the time he was inducted into the Army. He was described in the hometown paper as a “cheerful and customary figure”. His work at the bank, in addition to being an usher at the Congregational Church and a Scout Clubmaster for a time, made him a well-known neighbor.
About a month before the accident, which would have been near his 26th birthday, he was home on a two-week furlough.
His last letter home was received by the family after the crash. In it he wrote to his parents that he enjoyed his work, praised the air force equipment and training. He felt that his job was one of many which had to be done.
Along with the story and Bob’s photo in the paper, immediately following was printed a poem:
A Boy
I once knew a boy, somebody's son,
The same as you and I.
He flew into the blue for his country's sake.
Also for you and I.
He will never return, this lad so young,
As the news of his passing has come,
We will forever honor this boy of the sky,
Who gave his all for you and I.
The grave of Lt. Robert L. Miller and his parents and sister are just feet from the grave of my grandparents. Within his stone is an engraved B-25 and clouds that catch my eye every time I visit. It’s a peaceful site; someone has taken on the effort to hang an over-sized windchime slightly above the Millers’ plot. Clearly, the detail of their son’s service and how he died were bases of pride for the parents who placed such a stunning stone.
The first son of Green Lake to die in the war will always remain as a reminder of a home front sacrifice paid by a family and an entire community. And it also serves as the most memorable Halloween Story I’ve ever heard.
