Fallen Special Forces soldier to be awarded Medal of Honor

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Miller will be posthumously honored with the rare Medal of Honor on Oct. 6 for sacrificing himself to save the lives of his teammates and 15 Afghan National Army soldiers, the White House announced Thursday.

The announcement said Miller “displayed immeasurable courage and uncommon valor” when he died during a firefight in Afghanistan on Jan. 25, 2008. The Medal of Honor, first awarded in 1863, is the government’s highest military honor.

Miller’s mother, Maureen Miller of Oviedo, Fla., said the entire family is proud of Robert’s courage and his achievements from his time spent in the Special Forces program.

The medal “is recognition for the exceptional courage he showed in taking control of the situation and deliberately exposing himself to enemy fire so the rest of the troops could take cover,” she said Thursday.

Miller was born in Harrisburg, Pa., but grew up in Wheaton, Ill., with his parents and seven younger siblings. Miller attended the University of Iowa one year before joining the Army in 2003 and making the elite Special Forces.

Miller’s former high school gymnastics coach, Chad Downie, will be traveling with the family to Washington, D.C., in October to receive the medal on his behalf. Downie, who was close to Miller throughout his time at Wheaton North, remains in contact with his family on a regular basis.

“To know that the values he learned from this community influenced him is a testimony to the type of place he came from and the sort of kid he was,” Downie said.

Miller’s focus wasn’t limited to physical endeavors. He loved history and social studies and became proficient in several languages — including French, Pashto and Spanish — in training and in Afghanistan.

Maureen Miller said her son’s contributions are remembered beyond the family’s current home in Oviedo. “We received a beautiful rug sent to us from the Afghan soldiers he worked with to show their gratitude for what he did,” she said. “It shows how much what our troops are doing means to them. The rug is hanging on our living room wall. I think of [Robert] every time I see it.”

bdoyle@tribune.com