Reflections of a Warrior

An excellent account of life during the Vietnam War. The generation of people that treated these Veterans so horribly when they returned from war were a shameful bunch that dishonored all those that died for our country.

I can tell you for a fact that the stories he tells are accurate because I was around him for a lot of them. I think I met him his first day in SF at the SFOB in Nha Trang,and we were both running missions out of Kontum the entire time I was there. If I wasn't around when he did some of the things he talks about,I heard about them from him or others when I got back to the camp. Of course,he was there after I was medi-evaced in Nov of 1969,so I wasn't there when he earned the MOH. In fact,I had gotten out of the army and did the same thing 99% of the veterans did,I tried to put it entirely out of my mind. I didn't speak about it and I didn't think about it. It came as a surprise to me to walk into Walden Books one day and spot him on the cover of his book getting his MOH! "Hey! I know that guy!" I immediately bought the book and took it home to read. This was the first I even knew he had survived,and it was the reason I got back in touch with him after almost 30 years. We shared Thanskgiving Dinner together at the unit mess at Camp Mackall the November before he fell sick and died. If you have ever wondered about the mindset of the people who run special operations,here are the answers. If you have only read VN books written by draftees who write about the heavy drama,drug abuse,and political crap,you are going to be surprised. Not everybody in VN were draftee war protestors,and not everbody there was doing their damndest to avoid combat. Some people were actually going out of their way to carry a rifle in a combat unit. Not only that,but most people would be surprised at the high number of recon and Hatchet Force troops that extended their tours for six months after surviving the intital tour. It even came as a surprise to ME when I extended my tour. I still can't tell you why,other than I felt like I was a part of something important doing a job that needed to be done. If you want to buy and read this book,PLEASE consider going to the web site below to buy it. This is the hardcover version of the book,and all of the money from the sales of it go to his children. He left behind two teenage children and a infant when he died. I thank you in advance if you do. (...)

A friend of mine who was at CCN with SGM Miller got this book signed for me before Miller passed away a few years ago. The inscription said: "Keep your fears to yourself, and share your courage with others". I went to Iraq last year as a team leader in the 101st Airborne Division, in one of the rifle companies expected to lead the way in and pay in blood for every inch. I did the best I could to stick to that line. It was the best advice I ever got.

Frank "Doug" Miller and I became friends during my last active duty tour in Korea in the mid-eighties. He would come to my office telling the stories that later became this great book. As his stories unfolded, I could smell the jungle and gunpowder. When I found this book, I sat down with stories that had been like long time friends. Doug's ability to paint the truth in superb word pictures of his life in Nam are almost as good as talking to him over a cup of coffee. With his passing, the loss of a great friend and soldier is somehow eased by reading and re-reading this book. We'll always miss this great hero.

I am very pleased to be a part of the second printing of this book. It was nothing less than befitting to memorialize both men who died a month apart in the year 2000. From the time I was able to review and assist with the editing of the original manuscript to receiving the final product in hardcover the day Elwood left for Desert Storm in 1991, I wanted to scream out and tell the world that this is a must read publication. Not only is the story told by a well seasoned soldier, but it is told in a manner to which the reader can actually capture how he became well seasoned, going from a freshly trained soldier boy to a "full grown soldier" who lived to tell it like it was. The story was told to a well developed and experienced writer who delivered the words to paper as if he were Frank's shadow. The truth couldn't be any closer. The men worked side by side talking, telling, laughing, and sharing. It was definitely a match necessary and meant to be in order to get the story out in its complete form. As a reader and of course a little biased (Elwood and I were married 19 years prior to his death), I felt the intensity, smelled the smoke-filled environment and absorbed the mentality of those who fought for freedom. I also soaked in the poignancy, which presented Frank as a fighting soldier, but yet having the empathy needed to remain a "real" person outside a war-torn country. Most books are souped up to draw the curious reader in until the last page, but this book didn't stretch the truth--Frank lived and saw the truth. He told it, from the first chapter to the last period. With Elwood placing the words in their respective manner, the manuscript transformed into a book everyone should read. Let us not forget those who have served, support those who are serving and encourage those who will serve. As Frank said, "You have never lived until you almost died".

I first read Franklin Miller's book about 15 years ago when the hardback edition was first published. I just reread it after hearing he had passed away on June 30, 2000 from Pancreatic Cancer. I also had the honor of knowing Franklin Miller when he was a First Sergeant in Hawaii back in the 1980's. The book is better the second time around and is just a s gripping today, as it was 15 years ago. Franklin Miller was truly larger than life. His amazing verbal storytelling abilities that kept us all spellbound when I was a young lieutenant will keep readers equally spellbound. I am proud to say that I knew Franklin Miller for a brief period many years ago. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in soldiers or Vietnam, or just learning about truly selfless service.