Colonel
David Leon Miller, Jr. Retired US Army, 82, of Fayetteville
passed away Saturday, January 23, 2021 at UNC Hospital in Chapel
Hill.
David
was born July 8, 1938, in Asheville to the late Elizabeth and
David Miller.
David
is survived by his wife, Dorothy Miller; daughter, Debbie
Gradian (Paul); sons, David L. Miller, III; and Daniel C. Miller
(Kristin); sister, Laura Hildreth (Tim); brothers, Gary Miller
(Pat) and Alan Miller (Susie); grandchildren, Rachel and husband
Pat, Emma and husband Sam, Clarke, and Drew Miller.
David
will be remembered for his devotion to his family, his service
in the military, his love of reading and the English language
and the teaching of it to his college students, his commitment
to his church as a member of the choir and as a teacher of the
Barrington Sunday School class. David met his sweetheart Dot in
the Methodist youth group when “she slung a hymnal” in his lap.
He always told that story with a gleam in his eye. They were
married for just short of 60 years. Together they moved all over
the country and to Germany in the military, first with one
child, then eventually with three. In every home they made
friends and sought out ways to build community with the people
around them.
David
graduated from Fayetteville High School and went on to attend
college at West Point. Upon graduation from the United States
Military Academy at West Point in 1961, David was awarded a
Bachelor of Science degree, and commissioned a Second Lieutenant
in the field artillery. He also held a Master of Arts in English
literature from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of
Business Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. His
military education included completion of the Artillery Officer
Basic and Advanced Courses, the Organizational Effectiveness
Staff Officer Course, and the US Army Command and General Staff
College.
He held
a wide variety of command and staff positions, culminating his
career as the Installation Commander, Fort Devens,
Massachusetts. Past assignments include Garrison Commander/Chief
of Staff Headquarters; Fort Devens, Director Installation
Services, Defense General Supply Center, Defense Logistic
Agency; Director of Human Resources Development, Deputy Chief of
Staff for Personnel, Administration and Logistics, Headquarters
TRADOC; Professor of Military Science, University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Quality of Life Officer, U.S. Army Field
Artillery Center, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Chief Combined Arms
Division, Tactics and Combined Arms Department, U.S. Army Field
Artillery School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Assistant Professor,
Department of English, United States Military Academy, West
Point, New York.
Other
key assignments included command of the 15th Missile Detachment
in West Germany; staff duty with the United States Support
Activities Group 17th Air Force, Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, during
the evacuation of Vietnam; advisor duty in The Republic of
Vietnam, and command of a Pershing Missile Battery at Fort Sill.
Awards
and decorations that Colonel Miller received include the Bronze
Star Medal (Meritorious), Meritorious Service Medal with Oak
Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal, and the Joint Service Commendation
Medal. He was also authorized to wear the Parachutist Badge.
After
retiring from the Army, David taught writing, literature, and
public speaking classes at Fayetteville Technical Community
College for nearly twenty years. He was also the advisor for the
Phi Theta Kappa.
Graveside services will be held on Wednesday, February 10, 2021
at 1 pm at Lafayette Memorial Park with military honors.
In lieu
of flowers, memorials to the United Service Organization, PO Box
96860 Washington, DC 20077 or Haymount United Methodist Church,
1700 Ft. Bragg Rd. Fayetteville, NC 28303.