They soon secured e main bunkers and even took out a whole bunker themselves. Once Jackson destroyed the nest, the soldiers killed the Germans as they fell down the hill. Once using covering fire to get more men to a better position, he threw himself out of cover to give Private Jackson a chance to run out to better cover to take out the nest with his sniper. They were unfortunately pinned down by a machine gun nest. Once most of his squad and enough soldiers from other company's arrived, he barked orders for the engineers to get the Bangalores ready. Miller manage to reach the wall of barbed wire that separated them from the bunkers. Miller's unit suffered high casualties during the attack, including fellow soldier Private Delancey and officer Lieutenant Briggs, but the German defenses were too weak to hold off the flow of American soldiers and equipment. He started in an LCM like all the other soldiers he began to give his men orders after the coxswain told them to clear the ramp. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Miller led Company C of the 2nd Ranger Battalion onto Omaha Beach in France. He kept this a secret from his men except for Horvath. Just before the Rangers embarked at Portsmouth, England, Miller's right hand began to shake uncontrollably for unknown reasons, though it hints he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Miller was somewhat of a mystery to his men, who were so intrigued by their commanding officer that they set up a betting pool to reward whoever could find out details about Miller's civilian life. This would be his last major scale battle. Transferring to the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Miller and Horvath next prepared for the assault on Hitler's vaunted Atlantic Wall defenses as part of Operation Overlord. The two would serve together during Operation Torch, the Allied landings at Anzio, Italy in 1943, in Sicily. That is where he first met Sergeant Mike Horvath, an honest and dependable soldier and friend. Interestingly, Miller is never shown to wear his wedding ring.Īfter joining the US Army Rangers in 1942, Miller served in Tunisia, Africa and was involved in the battle of Kasserine Pass in 1942/43. Miller and Corporal Upham had an agreement to let a bet the whole company made go to $500 before Miller would tell Upham about life before the war so the two could split the reward and not $1000 as Upham suggested. Miller was married and was also the coach of the local baseball team in the Spring. He then taught English composition since 1933. Before joining the Army, John Miller had been employed at Thomas Alva Edison High School in Addley, Pennsylvania.