Captain Navy (Ret.)

Captain John F. Miller, Jr., USN (Ret.) died of natural causes in Pooler, Georgia??on September 30, 2015. He was 100 years old.



John was born in Parker, Idaho. He received a congressional appointment from the State of Wyoming to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1935.



Upon graduation in June 1939, he reported to the heavy cruiser USS Astoria (CA-34). He spent 2-1/2 years operating out of Pearl Harbor with duties in gunnery, engineering and communications. When WWII started, the Astoria escorted carriers in the battles of Coral Sea and Midway and a few others. Once she was underway for 71 days out of sight of land. John was transferred just before the Astoria was sunk in the battle of Savo Island on August 1942.



John was then assigned as a Flag Lieutenant on Staff of ComCruDiv Six aboard the USS Minneapolis. After the Minneapolis was struck by two torpedoes in the battle of Tassaforanga in December 1942, the staff was transferred to the USS Chester. After the Chester was torpedoed, he was assigned to Com Task Force 67 and 18 and transferred in succession to the Louisville, the Nashville, and then the Honolulu conducting night hit-and -run bombardments up and down the \"slot\" of the Solomon Islands.



In July of 1943, he was sent to Post Graduate School in Annapolis Maryland studying communications. It was during this time he married his \"first class drag\" Miss Thelma Jamison in Salt Lake City, Utah.



In August 1944, he joined the destroyer USS Ingraham (DD 694) at Pearl Harbor as Executive Officer. He participated in the invasions of Mindoro, Luzon, strikes against the mainland of Japan and invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa Japan.



Four days before the Ingraham was hit by a large kamikaze attack in May of 1945, he was ordered to report as CO of the destroyer USS Prichett (DD 561), the \"original destroyer Radar Picket\". During the Okinawa campaign the Prichett was the first ship assigned to radar picket duty and had the call sign Tom Cat One. She had the same radar signature as an aircraft carrier in order to attract enemy attention. She was the first ship damaged by Kamikaze attacks and also the last ship to be damaged by Kamikaze attacks during the Okinawa campaign. The Prichett served the longest time of any ship on picket duty (45 days) with almost daily brushes with Japanese Kamikaze planes. The fighter director scorecard shows the Prichett as downing 7 kamikaze planes, sinking 5 ships, bombing 5 airfields and bombing 3 land bases.



It was at during this time he was recommended for the Navy Cross by Vice Admiral R.K. Turner for his heroism against the enemy while serving as Commanding Officer of the Prichett during the Okinawa Gunto operation.



With the announcement of the end of the war, the Prichett went to Bremerton for repairs after being damaged by one of the last kamikaze attacks of the war. After overhaul, the Prichett proceeded to San Diego for decommissioning and placement into mothballs.



He was then assigned briefly as the CO of the destroyer USS Bryant (DD 665) for inactivation.



In April 1946 he was assigned to the Battleship USS Wisconsin (BB64) as Radar Officer, CIC, and Assistant Gunnery Officer. In April 1947 he became the Navigator of the Wisconsin and had the unique experience of taking the ship up the Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis, navigate two midshipmen cruises from the Chesapeake Bay to Europe as well as a trip through the Panama Canal to Chile.



Assigned as CO to the destroyer USS Saufley (DDE 465), and based in Key West Florida, he worked on destroyer torpedo and gunfire issues. The Saufley was the last American warship to visit Cuba prior to Castro assuming power.



Assigned as CO of the supply ship USS Antares (AK 258), and based in Norfolk Va., he spent two years supplying Naval Bases around the Mediterranean.



He then had duties at COMFIRSTFLT and COMFIVE. In 1959 he had the unique experience of witnessing an atomic bomb explosion from the vantage point of a slit trench in the Nevada desert. After 20 years of service he retired from the Navy.



Ribbons of service consist of the Silver Star, Legion of Merit with combat V, Bronze Star with combat V, Navy Unit Commendation ribbon, China Service, Asiatic Pacific Theater (S14) with 2 silver battle stars and 4 bronze battle stars, Philippine Liberation Medal with 2 bronze stars, American Service Medal, American Defense, World War II Victory Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Lebanon Operation), American Theater Medal.



After the war John worked for the Bendix Corporation on the Apollo Space Program helping develop a lunar rover capable of handling large pay loads. He then worked at Westinghouse performing satellite communications maintenance duties on ships and at other facilities around the world. Later he worked at the Church of Latter Day Saints Temple in Washington DC as a building engineer until he retired for the 3rd time.



John was an avid small boat sailor and enjoyed competitive racing out of the Washington Marina and the Annapolis Marina. He was also a scoutmaster for over 20 years and received the highest award by the Boy Scouts of America, the Silver Beaver, from the Baltimore Area Council.



John and Thelma Miller lived in Severna Park, Maryland for 35 years before moving to Pooler, Georgia in 2009 where he bought a new home to live next to his daughter and her family. John and Thelma were married for 67 years. Thelma died in 2010 at the age of 89.



He is survived by three children, Grant Frederick Miller of Dubois. Wyoming, Gail Miller Saba of Pooler. Georgia and Jim Miller of Glenelg, Maryland, 9 grand children, 8 great-grand children and his sister Evelyn Harrison of Arlington, Virginia.



A funeral will be held at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.