The Living History Book: A 94-Year-Old World War II Veteran's Journey

Today, I had the privilege of having lunch with Harry Miller, a 94-year-old World War II veteran who served in the 740th Tank Battalion as a tank crewman from France to Belgium and into Germany.

A veteran of our Army and founding member of our Air Force, Harry is a living, breathing history book. Listening to him talk is like taking a journey through time, with Forrest Gump as your guide. And when you add a Stella Artois to the mix, the stories just keep getting better and better.

“You know, I was driving through Belgium and kept seeing signs with that girl named Stella,” he says with a twinkle in his eye. “Finally, I asked a local, ‘who is Stella?’ It turns out, Stella means ‘Star,’ and ‘Artois’ is the family, so it just refers to the beer as ‘Star of the Artois family’! Who knew? Not many still know that!”

Harry was born and raised in Ohio during the Great Depression. He was one of three boys and three girls.

“How old are you, Harry?” I ask.

“94 years old,” he replies.

I do the quick math, and have a double take. “So, how old were you when you joined the Army?”

“Sixteen!” He answers. “I lied about my age. But so did a lot of us back then. We just wanted to serve.”

“What did your parents think about that decision?” I ask.

“Well, my mother died when I was three, and my father died when I was 13.”

Harry had always wanted to join the U. S. Army, ever since he had watched local WWI veterans march in parades. Orphaned, and without a birth certificate, he joined the Enlisted Reserve Corps when he was 15 (claiming he was 18).

On Oct. 29, 1944, the battalion departed Weymouth, England and arrived at Utah Beach the next evening. There were no tanks available as promised, so moving without orders, Harry’s commander, Colonel Rubel, marched the group through several towns, arriving in Neufchateau, Belgium on November 6th. He was determined to bring his battalion to the fight, and Harry always respected him for that.

Attached to the 82d Airborne Division, the battalion was aptly assigned the code word, “DAREDEVIL”.

“Buzz Bombs” passed overhead every night, but none hit their area. They were told to remain in Neufchateau until they were needed.

MG Hodges looked at Colonel Rubel and asked, “Why are you here? The war is over.”

But the war was not over. On December 16th, the Germans attacked through the Ardennes Forest, I what would become known as “The Battle of the Bulge.”

Harry’s battalion was ordered to proceed to Sprimont, Belgium, where tanks would be issued. But most of the personnel had already fled, leaving dead bodies and worn-out equipment behind. “It was a smell I’ll never forget,” Harry said.

After assembling three M4 Sherman tanks and an M-36 Tank Destroyer, they were off to Stoumont, Belgium to attack the Germans. “Everyone was scared,” Harry remembered. “Their eyes were bugged out.” And it was inside one of those tanks that Private Miller, on the job for all of one month, passed heavy 105mm shells to a gunner. He never could see the effects of their fire; only explosions and church steeples.

They found themselves in the middle of that horrendous battle.

Years later, a senior executive asked him, “Were you in the 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge?” Harry shot him a horrified look, “Sir, that is an insult! I was with the 82d Airborne Division—were were never encircled! We did the encircling!”

Harry’s sense of humor is well-developed, his recall for names and events is perfect, and his positivity is contagious.

The battalion crossed the Siegfried Line moving to capture the south side of the city of Cologne. Then it was further south to Rohrbach, then back north for the “Ruhr Pocket Battle” at Siegen.

In the process, Harry assisted in the liberation of one of Nazi Germany’s concentration camps, mowing down its fences with their tanks. He witnessed the crematoriums, with human remains and ashes still omnipresent. But it was the pervasive smell of decay that never left him—dreaming about it years later would actually wake him in a cold sweat, and bring him to tears. That continued until roughly three years ago.

Upon deactivation of the 740th, Harry was assigned to the 39th Infantry Regiment at Bad Tolz, Germany in the Regimental Message Center. One of their orders was to scout through the Alps looking for Hitler’s former secretary, Martin Borman.

When the Korean War broke out, Harry was assigned to a Glider unit, and headed MacArthur’s alert team, which went to Korea in advance of the general whenever he visited the battlefront. He saw MacArthur often throughout the Occupation of Japan and the Korean War.

He came back to the States and was assigned to the Army Security Agency in Arlington, Virginia. Then back to Germany with the communications intercept unit—an assignment he disliked so much he decided to leave the Army. After a brief break in service, he went to the newly formed Air Force and asked if they could use him.

He entered with the same rank, technical sergeant, and was eventually sent to SAC HQ at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, where he assisted with investigations.

When the Cuban Missile Crisis began, he was put on war status working 12- to 24- hours a day. When the Vietnam War started, Harry helped plan B-52 strikes.

Harry retired in 1966 with the rank of Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt E8), with 22 years of service.

After leaving the service, Harry became a private investigator in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He also worked at the University of Texas at Arlington as a Safety Inspector, where he retired after 15 years.

Harry currently resides at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, DC. He frequently talks to school aged children about his love for our nation.

“You faced a great deal of adversity in your life, Harry,” I say to him. “You have such a positive attitude. Your resilience is extraordinary.”

Harry nods and says, “There are people who live the life they’ve been given, and then there are those who try to make the world a better place during their lifetimes—and that’s what I’ve tried to do.”

It was an honor to spend time with Harry and hear his stories firsthand. Sincere thanks to my friend Monique Tapie for introducing us!