Air Force Maj. Curtis Daniel Miller of Palacios, Texas, was the son of Paul Lee Miller and Marvis Nell Bailey Miller. While attending Texas Tech University, Curtis was an Air Force ROTC cadet and met Susan Rothrock. They married in Lubbock Texas on November 26, 1966; he was a junior and she a sophomore. He graduated from flight training at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock and together they moved across the country while he took training on different types of planes. Curtis could fly just about any kind of airplane, everything but helicopters. In 1969 they welcomed their daughter into the world, Curtis' only child. Totally taken by his daughter, he would sit and stare at her in the nursery for hours at a time. In 1971 he learned he was to deploy to Southeast Asia, and would be serving with the 16th Special Operations Squadron based in Thailand. Curtis was part of a secret war which was talked little about in America, delaying or stopping the North Vietnamese from using the Ho Chi Minh Trail to supply their forces in South Vietnam. In early 1972, Curtis came home for a visit and his family spent a week together. His wife noticed he was changed; his fun loving carefree side was gone. He was serious. On March 29, 1972, 14 men, including Curtis, were aboard an AC-130A Spectre gunship that took off from Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, on an armed reconnaissance mission over southern Laos. The aircraft was struck by an enemy surface-to-air missile and crashed. Search and rescue efforts were stopped after a few days due to heavy enemy activity in the area. In 1984, a television crew got near the crash site and from a local purchased some items taken by the locals from the scene. One of those items was returned to Susan Miller- her husband's wedding ring. In 1986, joint U.S.- Lao People's Democratic Republic teams, lead by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), surveyed and excavated the crash site in Savannakhet Province, Laos. The team recovered human remains and other evidence including two identification tags, life support items and aircraft wreckage. From 1986 to 1988, the remains were identified as those of nine men from this crew. Between 2005 and 2006, joint teams resurveyed the crash site and excavated it twice. The teams found more human remains, personal effects and crew-related equipment. As a result, JPAC identified the other crewmen using forensic identification tools, circumstantial evidence, mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons. All 14 men are now accounted for. Remains that could not be individually identified are included in a group that will be buried together in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. On March 29, 2010, Major Miller's identified remains were buried at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery with full military honors. (original bio for Dan written by Sue)
Air Force Maj. Curtis Daniel Miller of Palacios, Texas, was the son of Paul Lee Miller and Marvis Nell Bailey Miller. While attending Texas Tech University, Curtis was an Air Force ROTC cadet and met Susan Rothrock. They married in Lubbock Texas on November 26, 1966; he was a junior and she a sophomore. He graduated from flight training at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock and together they moved across the country while he took training on different types of planes. Curtis could fly just about any kind of airplane, everything but helicopters. In 1969 they welcomed their daughter into the world, Curtis' only child. Totally taken by his daughter, he would sit and stare at her in the nursery for hours at a time. In 1971 he learned he was to deploy to Southeast Asia, and would be serving with the 16th Special Operations Squadron based in Thailand. Curtis was part of a secret war which was talked little about in America, delaying or stopping the North Vietnamese from using the Ho Chi Minh Trail to supply their forces in South Vietnam. In early 1972, Curtis came home for a visit and his family spent a week together. His wife noticed he was changed; his fun loving carefree side was gone. He was serious. On March 29, 1972, 14 men, including Curtis, were aboard an AC-130A Spectre gunship that took off from Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, on an armed reconnaissance mission over southern Laos. The aircraft was struck by an enemy surface-to-air missile and crashed. Search and rescue efforts were stopped after a few days due to heavy enemy activity in the area. In 1984, a television crew got near the crash site and from a local purchased some items taken by the locals from the scene. One of those items was returned to Susan Miller- her husband's wedding ring. In 1986, joint U.S.- Lao People's Democratic Republic teams, lead by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), surveyed and excavated the crash site in Savannakhet Province, Laos. The team recovered human remains and other evidence including two identification tags, life support items and aircraft wreckage. From 1986 to 1988, the remains were identified as those of nine men from this crew. Between 2005 and 2006, joint teams resurveyed the crash site and excavated it twice. The teams found more human remains, personal effects and crew-related equipment. As a result, JPAC identified the other crewmen using forensic identification tools, circumstantial evidence, mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons. All 14 men are now accounted for. Remains that could not be individually identified are included in a group that will be buried together in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. On March 29, 2010, Major Miller's identified remains were buried at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery with full military honors. (original bio for Dan written by Sue)
Inscription
CURTIS D MILLER
MAJ US AIR FORCE VIETNAM
