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Remember...Robert Junior Miller
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Research did not reveal with whom Robert Miller lived in his youth, but he attended Kingwood High School and graduated in 1947. He enrolled at West Virginia University and majored in forestry. ("Services Set for Lt. Robert Miller," Preston County Journal, 25 March 1954.)
He was a charter member of Arnold Air Society, which had the mission of developing future leaders through community service, professional development, and education about national defense. He was the President of Alpha Gamma Rho, a fraternity whose purpose was to "make better men, and through them, a better and broader agriculture." He was also a member of the Forestry Club.
On July 5, 1951, Robert Miller enlisted in the United States Air Force. He graduated flight school in December of 1952 as a jet pilot. He was transferred to Korea in June. He served with the 69th Fighter-Bomber Squadron of the 58th Fighter Bomb Group, with a home base in San Francisco.
A brief history of the 58th's service during the Korean War is quoted below from The Korean War Project's website page dedicated to the group:
The 58th FBG flew F-84s in primarily close air support and ground attack missions from July 1952. Having entered the Korean War with the slow, short-ranged F-84D ThunderJets, the 58th transitioned in late 1952 to the new "G" model, designed with more speed and range. Targets were enemy ports, railroads, and airfields. The group attacked the major supply port of Sinuiju in September, inflicting heavy damage to the target area without loss of personnel or aircraft. Combining with other fighter-bomber units, it attacked the Kumgang Political School at Odong-ni in October 1952 and the North Korean tank and infantry school at Kangso in February 1953. In May, the 58th FBG bombed North Korean dams, flooding enemy lines of communication and rice fields. On July 27, 1953, the 58th FBG attacked the runway at Kanggye and, with the 49th FBG, bombed Sunan Airfield for the final action of fighter-bombers in the Korean War. ("58th Fighter Bomber Group," accessed 1 June 2021, https://www.koreanwar.org/html/units/usaf/58fbg.htm.)
By 1954, Robert Miller had attained the rank of first lieutenant and had survived the official end of the Korean War. However, he was still in Korea in 1954 and continued to fly F-84s. According to a fact sheet prepared by TSgt David Dollman, the 58th continued to provide air defense to South Korea in the years after the war. ("58 Operations Group [AETC]," Air Force Historical Research Agency, accessed 26 May 2021, https://www.afhra.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/433060/58-operations-group-aetc/.) During a night flight on February 20, 1954, Lt. Miller's plane went down in Korea. Lt. Miller died as a result.
| Lt. Miller was buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Kingwood, Preston County. The news of the death was reported in the Preston County Journal. ("Services Set for Lt. Robert Miller," 25 March 1954.) |
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Article prepared by Cynthia Mullens
May 2021
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
