FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Lewis L Millett ~ 16 January 2023

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Lewis L. Millett
Story from this website.

           

Lewis Lee Millett, Sr. (December 15, 1920 – November 14, 2009) was a United States Army officer who was awarded the Medal of Honor during the Korean War for leading the last major American bayonet charge.


  Early life

Millett was born on December 15, 1920, in Mechanic Falls, Maine. He grew up in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, having moved there with his mother after his parents divorced and his mother remarried. His great-grandfather had served in the American Civil War and an uncle fought in World War I with the 101st Field Artillery Regiment of the Massachusetts Army National Guard.


  World War II

While still attending high school in Dartmouth, he enlisted in the Massachusetts National Guard and in 1938 joined his uncle's old regiment, the 101st Field Artillery. In 1940, he joined in the United States Army Air Corps and entered gunnery school. When it appeared that the U.S. would not enter World War II, Millett, eager to fight, deserted in mid-1941. With a friend who had received a bad conduct discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps, Millett hitchhiked to Canada and enlisted in the Canadian Army. Assigned to the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, he was sent to the United Kingdom, where he served as an anti-aircraft radar operator in London during the Blitz. By the time he arrived in the United Kingdom, the U.S. had entered the war; Millett transferred to the U.S. Army in 1942.

Assigned to the 27th Armored Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Millett served in Tunisia as an anti-tank gunner. During an engagement there, he drove a burning ammunition-filled half-track away from Allied soldiers, jumping to safety just before it exploded. For this action, he was awarded the U.S. military's third-highest decoration, the Silver Star. He later shot down a Messerschmitt Me-109 fighter plane using half-track mounted machine guns.

Millett, by then a sergeant, next took part in the Allied invasion of Italy at Salerno and the subsequent Battle of Anzio. It was at this time that the U.S. Army discovered Millet's 1941 desertion; he was court-martialed, convicted, ordered to pay a $52 fine, and stripped of his leave privileges. Only weeks later, he was given a battlefield commission to second lieutenant.


  Korean War

After World War II, Millett attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, for three years before being called up to serve in Korea. Over a decade later, in the 1960s, he earned a bachelor's degree from Park College (now known as Park University) in Missouri.

By February 7, 1951, Millett was serving in Korea as a captain and commander of Company E of the 27th Infantry Regiment. On that day, near Soam-Ni, he led his company in an assault on an enemy position atop Hill 180. When one platoon became pinned down by heavy fire, Millett took another platoon forward, joined the two groups, and led them up the hill. Wielding his bayonet and throwing hand grenades, Millett yelled encouragement to his soldiers throughout the hand to hand fight. Upon reaching the top of the hill, his men stormed the enemy position and forced the opposing soldiers to withdraw. Although wounded in the shin by grenade fragments, Millett refused to be evacuated until the position was secured.

For his leadership during the assault, Millett was awarded the Medal of Honor. The medal was formally presented to him by President Harry S. Truman in July 1951. He was also awarded the Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross, for leading another bayonet charge in the same month.


  Vietnam War

After the Korean War, Millett attended Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division as an intelligence officer and later served in Vietnam as a military advisor to the controversial Phoenix Program, which aimed to root out and kill Viet Cong sympathizers. He also helped found a "Recondo" (reconnaissance-commando) school to train small units for service in Vietnam. In the mid-1960s, he commanded the Army Security Agency training center at Fort Devens, Massachusetts.

Millett retired from the military in 1973 at the rank of colonel. He later stated that he retired because he felt the U.S. had "quit" in Vietnam.


  Later years and family

After his military career, Millett worked as a deputy sheriff in Trenton, Tennessee. He eventually moved to Idyllwild, California, where he would remain for the rest of his life. He regularly appeared at events celebrating veterans, both in the Riverside County area and elsewhere around the country.

Millett married Virginia Young; the couple later divorced. His second marriage was to Winona Williams, with whom he had four children: Lewis Lee Jr., John, Timothy, and Elizabeth. His son John, a staff sergeant in the Army, was among more than 240 U.S. military members killed in 1985 when their airplane, Arrow Air Flight 1285, crashed in Gander, Newfoundland, while carrying them home from peacekeeping duty in the Middle East. Millett's wife Winona died in 1993.

Millett died of congestive heart failure on November 14, 2009, one month short of his 89th birthday. He died at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA Medical Center in Loma Linda, California, after being hospitalized four days earlier. He had experienced various health problems over the last few years of his life, including diabetes. His funeral will be held on December 5 at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.


  Awards and honors

Millett's military awards include the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, two Legion of Merits, three Bronze Stars, four Purple Hearts, and three Air Medals.

At Osan Air Base in South Korea, "Millett Road" is named after Colonel Millett running up Hill 180, the hill where he led the legendary bayonet charge.

In 2009, a park in San Jacinto, California, was named in honor of Millett.

Millett's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

    Capt. Millett, Company E, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. While personally leading his company in an attack against a strongly held position he noted that the 1st Platoon was pinned down by small-arms, automatic, and antitank fire. Capt. Millett ordered the 3d Platoon forward, placed himself at the head of the 2 platoons, and, with fixed bayonet, led the assault up the fire-swept hill. In the fierce charge Capt. Millett bayoneted 2 enemy soldiers and boldly continued on, throwing grenades, clubbing and bayoneting the enemy, while urging his men forward by shouting encouragement. Despite vicious opposing fire, the whirlwind hand-to-hand assault carried to the crest of the hill. His dauntless leadership and personal courage so inspired his men that they stormed into the hostile position and used their bayonets with such lethal effect that the enemy fled in wild disorder. During this fierce onslaught Capt. Millett was wounded by grenade fragments but refused evacuation until the objective was taken and firmly secured. The superb leadership, conspicuous courage, and consummate devotion to duty demonstrated by Capt. Millett were directly responsible for the successful accomplishment of a hazardous mission and reflect the highest credit on himself and the heroic traditions of the military service.

Thank you sir, for your service and sacrifice for our country!

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[radu]

Howdy, luvie.

How has your day been?

[luvie]

Hey there, radu!

It’s been great...except for having to get up early and having to get dressed up with makeup and all for church. LOL!

How was yours? I hope you had some sunshine even though I see that it’s still pretty chilly.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...how are the knees doing? A tad better I hope.

Glad Tippy is adjusting to your shorter walks, and waiting for Mom to feel better.

[TigerHawk]

YEAH, OF COURSE WE GOT THAT FREEZE. DOWN TO SINGLE DIGITS. WORRIED ABOUT PIPE FREEZES. BUT, AFTER A FEW DAYS IT WARMED UP INTO THE 50’S, MID 40’S, FREEZE THAWED INTO MUD, AND IT’S STILL NOT FROZE SOLID...WHICH IS OK WITH ME.

AS FOR KILLING OFF BUGS, WELL TAHITI NEVER HAS A FREEZE, THEY’VE GOT BUGS OF ALL SORTS, SOME (I HEAR) THE SIZE OF RHINOS, AND THOSE FOLKS MANAGE TO DO JUST FINE.

I’D RATHER SWAT A RHINO THAN SHOVEL AND SHIVER. NO PLACE IS PERFECT. EVEN EDEN HAD THAT DAMNED SNAKE, BUT I’D RATHER DEAL WITH IMPERFECT IN TAHITI, THAN WINTER IN THE STATES.

I’M OFF TO THE CRYPT EARLY TONIGHT. BE GOOD, SLEEP WELL, DON’T TURN YER BACK ON THOSE CATS!

[radu]

At least you don’t have to wake up early and get gussied up every day now; just once a week. LOL

It’s been a quiet day here. It was sunny and a little warmer than yesterday but not as warm as predicted. It was in the 50s everywhere else across the state though. We just made it up to 45. Not fair.

[Kathy in Alaska]

In first....Pro grabs the gold!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

And in second....The Mayor snags the silver!!

[luvie]

Dang it! Not fair at all. Y’all are way south of a lot of those places, so you’d expect to be warmer.

Well, I do have to get up even earlier on Friday morning. Ugh. I finally have an appointment with an orthopedic doc about my knee. I’ve had x-rays and all they showed was some arthritis, but maybe he can find out what is causing the “buckling”. Yes, it’s taken a long time. Not that I haven’t tried, though.

[radu]

I was thinking you’d gotten some of that arctic blast but then thought maybe you’d been lucky enough to be just outside its southern dive.

I can do without a gazillion bugs and want it to get cold enough to kill off some more. Not enough were killed over Christmas weekend. As much as warmth year-round sounds reeeeeeeeally good, the bugs would make me miserable in no time. :-)

Be good? That takes some of the fun out of life. LOL
The cats are all fat and happy so it’s safe to turn my back. Can’t say the house is safe since they have a bad habit of getting rowdy and knocking things over. At least the breakable stuff is up and out of their way. >^..^<

Sleep well and I hope tomorrow’s a good day.

[radu]

Yeah, not fair at all. I don’t know how we got stuck in a cold pocket today. It still felt a lot better than yesterday though.

So you finally got an appointment to have that knee checked out? Good! You need to find out what’s going on with it. I hope no more damage has been done over the past several weeks.

[Kathy in Alaska]

And rounding out the top three...Janey bags the bronze!!

[E.G.C.]

A very pleasant good Monday morning and ((HUGS)) to everyone at the Canteen and to all our military at home and abroad. Thanks for your service to our country and thanks Lauren for this morning's thread.

How's everyone doing this morning?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu...when is the RAIN supposed to show up?

Is your well full? Is it warming up yet?

[The Mayor]

Thank you Kathy! Busy and slow times here in Buffalo.

Working on my car is good fun but damn it’s also been cold.
Cold makes my back hurt like the dickens.
But I’m determined. I hope, don’t quote me, I hope to have it running within two weeks.
Then the body work and paint. That will take time.

[luvie]

For the most part it’s much better. Then I’ll get up or move wrong and the pain comes back and I hobble to where it is I need to be. I haven’t fallen again, but I find that I’m overly cautious and that bugs me, too. LOL! I do still use the brace at times when there is some weakness. Otherwise, I don’t. It feels like it is cutting the circulation off. Bah. I hate being puny.

I hope that tomorrow feels even better than today. Are you getting some sunshine, or is it still rainy and cloudy? No snow. Uh-uh!

[Kathy in Alaska]

GOOD EVENING, TIGERHAWK...HOVERING IN THE MID 20s TIL LATE NEXT WEEK, THEN THEY SAY POSSIBLE SNOW FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THEY DON’T ALWAYS GET IT RIGHT, SO WE WILL JUST WAIT AND SEE.

GLAD YOU ENJOYED THIS EVENING’S HERO STORY.

KEEPING THE FAITH AS BEST I CAN.

AND YOU STAY WARM AND DRY!

[Kathy in Alaska]

IF the fog got over this far, I didn’t notice. The sun kept trying to come out most of the day, but without a lot of success.

Only heard a couple ducks quacking in the creek last night, but I didn’t hear any tonight. And no one has tried to get to the deck. Deck and railing not sporting a single duck print.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, luvie...he sure was a hero.

[radu]

Howdy, E.G.C. ((HUGZ))
Did you and Gizmo have a good run yesterday? Enjoy your Sonic dinner?

[Kathy in Alaska]

You MUST stay warm...a hurting back is awful!!

Oh boy...getting close to running. What a huge milestone!!

Are you able to do the body work yourself? What color paint?