US Army CSM Franklin Miller: Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipient

In this episode of Duty & Valor, we spotlight the incredible story of Command Sergeant Major Franklin D. Miller, a Green Beret who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War. Over six tours in Vietnam, Miller faced the unimaginable, serving with MACV-SOG, a secretive Special Forces unit tasked with some of the most dangerous missions of the war. On January 5, 1970, leading a seven-man team deep in enemy territory, Miller faced overwhelming odds when a massive North Vietnamese Army force attacked. Severely outnumbered, Miller fought relentlessly for hours, single-handedly holding off 100 enemy soldiers while rescuing his wounded teammates. His remarkable courage and endurance in the face of near-certain death stand as a testament to his warrior spirit. Join us as we explore his extraordinary life and the legacy he left behind.

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Sources:
arsof-history.org
nytimes.com
coffeeordie.com
wikipedia.org 

Transcript

Welcome back, everyone!

Before I tell you this week’s story, I’m going to share the Medal of Honor story of Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Edward Benfold, pulled from the Duty & Valor YouTube channel.  When the Marines he was serving alongside were under imminent threat of death, Hospital Corpsman Benfold reacted heroically, saving their lives.

During a nighttime attack Sept. 5, 1952 in Korea, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Edward Benfold, with his company under heavy artillery and mortar fire, moved fearlessly from position to position, tending to the wounded despite the relentless enemy barrage. When the platoon area came under attack from both the front and rear, he left the safety of cover to aid injured Marines.

Spotting two Marines in a large crater on an exposed ridgeline, he rushed forward to check on them. As he approached, an enemy soldier tossed two grenades into the crater, while two others charged the position. Without hesitation, Hospital Corpsman Benfold grabbed a grenade in each hand, leapt from the crater, and threw himself at the attackers, forcing the grenades against their chests, eliminating both enemies. Though his act saved the lives of his fellow Marines, he was mortally wounded in the process. For his heroic action, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Edward Benfold was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.  

At just 21 years old, Edward showed courage beyond his years.  His actions ultimately saved the lives of at least two Marines, ensuring they were able to return home to their families. 

On today’s episode of Duty & Valor, I’m going to share the story of US Army Command Sergeant Major Franklin “Doug” Miller.  With his team outnumbered and outgunned on a recon mission during the Vietnam War, Miller took the fight to the enemy, standing his ground despite his wounds. His story is one of raw courage, unshakable resolve, and an unwavering commitment to his fellow soldiers for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. 

Franklin Doug Miller was born on January 27, 1945 in Elizabeth City, NC.  He entered the Army in February 1965, when he was 20 years old.  Following basic and advanced training, PFC Miller was in special forces training.  However he was never given the chance to complete training.  As he recalled, one day he was assigned to orderly duty in the dining hall.  And as he had been running around all night, he grew increasingly tired.  When he thought no one would miss him, he went up to the barracks and fell asleep.  The next thing he knew, he was woken up by the first sergeant and the company commander who had arrived early to inspect the billets.  The first sergeant said to him “you can take your punishment from me, or you can go see the old man.”  

Though it wasn’t mentioned who the old man was, I assume it may have been his company commander.  As he had never been in trouble before PFC Miller chose to go see the old man, thinking that he would just get chewed out.  However he was wrong.  When he got there he was told “we’ve got your reassignment orders to Vietnam.”

PFC Miller deployed to Vietnam in March 1966 with the 1st Cavalry Division.  Operating out of the Central Highlands of South Vietnam, he was an infantryman, primarily involved in reconnaissance patrols.  He remained with his division for two years before being transferred to Fr. Bragg, NC to continue special forces training.  

After successfully completing training, Miller was now a Green Beret assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group.  He returned to Vietnam and served four years as part of the highly specialized and top secret group called the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies Observations Group or MACV-SOG for short.  This group deployed Green Beret led teams in some of the most dangerous missions of the war.  Not only did they operate deep behind enemy lines in Vietnam, many times they found themselves in  Cambodia and Laos where they conducted search and destroy missions. 

By 1970, Miller was a Staff Sergeant.  On January 5th, he was tasked with leading a joint seven man American and South Vietnamese tribesmen team into Laos.  There they were to search for an intelligence aircraft that had been shot down and to gather intel on a North Vietnamese Army base.  

The team was flown to their landing zone aboard two UH-1D Hueys ,which were supported by another Huey providing medical support as well as six Cobra gunships. 

After being inserted, the seven man team made their way to where they believed the aircraft crashed.  As they neared the site, Sgt Miller moved ahead alone to scout the area.  As he neared the down aircraft, he spotted approximately 40 North Vietnamese soldiers sitting in the grass around the plane.

He slowly moved back and returned to his team before reporting the enemy’s position to a forward air controller that was flying in the area.  Sgt. Miller then led his team away and around the North Vietnamese forces.  Things were going well for a few hours as they made their way undetected.  But that soon changed.  One of the Vietnamese tribesmen accidentally set off a hidden booby trap, triggering a massive explosion that wounded four of the seven men.

Sgt Miller was a short distance away documenting distant gunfire into his notebook when he heard the blast.  Sgt. Miller described the event as “strong shock waves assaulted my body and my vision blurred, like a camera being jarred…my initial reaction was to hit the ground, because the first thing you learn about combat is that anything standing gets hit.”

 Looking down the hill all he could see was a plume of gray smoke rising into the air.  With the explosion echoing and the smoke pinpointing where it came from, he knew that any enemy forces in the area would soon descend on their position.  He did his best to administer first aid before positioning his team across a stream at the bottom of a hill.  

Within minutes, the lead element of a platoon sized enemy force was spotted.  With more than half of his small team unable to fight off the enemy, he ordered them up the hill to a more secure position.  Before everyone had moved up the hill, Sgt Miller and one team member were forced to engage the enemy in a firefight.  Miller faced heavy fire as he entered the kill zone to bring the remaining wounded across the stream.  

Sgt Miller then remained behind alone to face the enemy attack.  He recalled thinking to himself “calm down, otherwise you’ll scare yourself into shock.  I tried to calm down and think about what I had to do.” 

He was able to repulse two attacks before the enemy withdrew in disorder.  He took this chance to return to his team and radioed for help.  He called in a tactical emergency to communicate that they were engaging a superior enemy force.   

Though well positioned, his team was not out of danger.  The North Vietnamese followed the trails of blood from the stream bed into the bushes where they were hidden.  As the North Vietnamese set up two machine gun positions, one of their scouts made it to within 10 yards of the team's position when he was spotted.  Sgt Miller took one shot and killed the scout, but the sound of his round exposed their position.  Within seconds enemy fire rained down on them.  

In an attempt to slow their advance, Sgt Miller threw tear gas and white phosphorous grenades.  He was hoping that the dense smoke would irritate and confuse them, forcing the enemy to disengage. 

With the remainder of his team well hidden, Sgt Miller took position behind rocks and fallen timber.  When a group of seven North Vietnamese soldiers appeared, he was able to eliminate them all.  Over the next two and half hours, he single handedly fought against approximately 100 enemy soldiers.  

After making contact with a forward air controller, he requested evacuation of his team.  A nearby C-130 identified the only suitable place for extraction, a bomb crater 150 meters from their concealed position.           

As he moved to scout the crater alone, Sgt Miller was spotted and hit in the chest by an enemy round.  He fell to the ground, falling in and out of shock for a short time.  As he came to and was tending to his wounds, four North Vietnamese soldiers moved in to finish him off.  He was able to fire at them with a few bursts from his M-16, killing three of them and forcing the fourth to retreat.

Sgt Miller somehow managed to get back on his feet, forcing his way back into the thick vegetation. Despite his injuries, he crawled the final 50 yards to rejoin his team. Once there, he pushed and dragged each wounded teammate back to the crater, with two of his teammates providing security, even though they were severely wounded themselves.

As the team made it near the crater and braced for an attack, a Huey appeared, hovering just five yards above the ground. However, the helicopter was forced to leave before anyone was rescued, as over 50 NVA soldiers launched an intense assault with small arms, mortars, and rockets. In the chaos, Sgt Miller was hit in the left arm, so badly that he feared his hand had been blown off, leaving his arm useless. Realizing this might be his final stand, with only a grenade and one magazine left, Sgt Miller was prepared for the worst. But in his haze of pain and exhaustion, he spotted a figure in the distance — a soldier with an M60 machine gun, signaling to him. It was a Hatchet Force platoon of South Vietnamese tribal fighters, supported by American advisors, arriving just in time to save them.

Soon after, the area was secure enough for another evacuation attempt to be made.  Helicopter arrived and casualties were loaded aboard, but Sgt. Miller refused to leave until all members of his team were evacuated.  Of the original seven men, four had been killed and the other three badly wounded.  

For his actions which saved his teammates, he was recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross, but this was later upgraded. 

On June 15, 1971, at a White House ceremony, President Nixon bestowed the Medal of Honor upon SSG Franklin Miller. 

Even after all this, Sgt Miller volunteered to return to Vietnam, and he remained there until Nov. 1972. 

Sgt Miller remained in the Army another twenty years, before retiring in 1992 as Command Sergeant Major.  After retiring, he worked as a benefits counselor for the Veterans Administration.  

On June 30, 2000, Command Sergeant Major Franklin Miller died at the age of 55.  

I’m going to end this episode with a quote from Sgt Miller that speaks to his honesty in admitting even the bravest of men feel fear, even when outwardly showing courage, he said “share your fears with yourself and your courage with others, because you will inspire people to do things that are incredible.”

Thank you for listening to this episode of Duty & Valor. If you enjoyed this episode and our show in general, please like, follow, and share our show wherever you’re listening.  You can also support the show directly at patreon.com/dutyandvalor or by becoming a member of our Duty & Valor YouTube community. 

To read more about this week’s hero, check out the sources used in today's episode in our show notes and at dutyandvalor.com.

Remember, we release new episodes on the Duty & Valor YouTube channel on Fridays at 5 pm. On our channel, we also release daily YouTube shorts that highlight our Nation’s heroes, many of whom haven’t been featured on the show yet.

Please join us for our next episode, where we'll be sharing the inspiring story of another American hero who served with pride and lived with humility.