Community members in Aurora, Illinois gathered on Tuesday night to honor a WWII veteran, Dick Miller, who will be serving as the grand marshal at this year’s Memorial Day Parade. Miller, who is 97 years old, was born on June 26, 1926, and attended St. Paul School and East Aurora High School in Aurora.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944 and was stationed at Pearl Harbor before being assigned to the U.S.S. Drexler destroyer ship. During the Battle of Okinawa in May 1945, the ship was destroyed by Japanese kamikaze planes. A total of 160 people were killed and 52 were wounded, including Miller, who was a spotter for the kamikaze planes. Despite being injured, Miller survived by holding onto an empty canister in the water filled with oil, which could have killed him if swallowed.
After the war, Miller was discharged from the hospital in 1946 and served in the Navy Reserve for five more years. He then married his high school sweetheart, worked for the U.S. Post Office for 30 years, and raised two children with his wife Dorothy. Miller was honored on Tuesday evening by the City of Aurora with a proclamation from Mayor Richard Irvin and a sash ahead of the parade. He led the Aurora City Council Chambers in singing “God Bless America” and expressed his love for the American flag.