Ambushed in Afghanistan: SSG Robert J. Miller

Welcome to the Medal of Honor podcast, brought to you in partnership with the National Medal of Honor Museum. I’m Ken Harbaugh. In each episode, we’ll learn about a different service member who has distinguished him or herself through an act of valor.

Robert J. Miller was born on October 14th, 1983 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After graduating high school, he spent one year at the University of Iowa before enlisting the Army in 2003 at 20 years old. He deployed to Afghanistan first in 2006, and again in late 2007.

On January 25th, 2008, then Staff Sergeant Miller was a part of a Special Forces combat reconnaissance unit called Operational Detachment Alpha 3312, or ODA, tasked with confirming enemy activity in the Gowardesh Valley. The valley had been an enemy stronghold for years, and Miller’s team was prepared to encounter several fortified enemy positions.

ODA was accompanied on their mission by members of the Afghan National Army, or ANA. Miller was the only ODA member who could speak Pashto and communicate with the ANA soldiers, so he was in charge of directing them.

The ODA convoy left before dawn, facing freezing temperatures and a fierce wind chill as they journeyed through the snowy valley to their destination. Twice they encountered a giant boulder blocking the road, forcing them to halt and blow it up to clear a path. ODA knew this was a tactic used by insurgents to stage an ambush so they heightened security, ordering Miller to lead a dismounted overwatch element.

Upon reaching their destination, the convoy confirmed the location of 15- 20 enemy combatants on the opposite side of the valley via a drone. The insurgents were equipped with RPGs, machine guns, and assault rifles, and some were protected by fortified positions. The convoy engaged, and Miller mounted his vehicle's turret, a grenade machine gun. Miller expertly described the engagement area and relayed enemy positions to his team as he fired on the enemy across the valley. With this information, close air support was able to strike the area, doing lethal damage and disrupting the enemy’s ability to maneuver. Miller also positioned the ANA soldiers to provide flank security, allowing the rest of the convoy to focus on their targets across the valley.

When the firefight ended, the ODA commander ordered a dismounted patrol to travel across the valley and conduct battle damage assessments. Miller was chosen as the point man for the patrol, and ordered to lead the ANA soldiers across the valley, trailed by another group of ODA soldiers. The patrol ventured down into the valley, across a bridge, and started heading up the other side. The steep hill of the valley offered only one way up, creating a natural chokepoint that the patrol had to pass through. Seeing the potential for danger, Miller ordered the ANA soldiers into a wedge formation in order to prepare for any flanking attacks.

When they neared the end of the chokepoint, a single enemy insurgent jumped out from behind a boulder and began firing on the patrol. Miller shot and killed the enemy, but the attack triggered an ambush. Over 140 enemies began firing into the chokepoint. They held elevated fighting positions less than 25 meters away from the patrol, and surrounded them on three sides. Both the ANA and ODA elements immediately began to retreat. Seeing that his comrades were sitting ducks, Miller charged forward. He engaged the enemy, drawing a majority of the fire away from his allies, while again relaying enemy positions back to his team. Miller’s distraction was particularly effective because his weapon, the M29 SAW, had a distinct sound and muzzle flash, making him easily identifiable in the dark. Miller killed or wounded at least 10 insurgents before the full patrol reached the bottom of the chokepoint, where they were pinned down. Putting himself in harm's way, Miller charged again. This time he targeted the right flank of the ambush, which was particularly threatening to the rest of the patrol. He threw a grenade into two separate enemy positions, destroying them both, and killed four more enemies. Once Miller realized his team was out of immediate danger, he attempted to find cover, but was then shot in the right side. He quickly turned and killed the enemy who had shot him. Then Miller saw that his detachment commander had been shot twice and seriously injured. The commander ordered everyone to retreat, but Miller, seeing the opportunity to inflict serious damage, crawled upwards towards the enemy. He continued engaging the enemy, allowing the wounded commander to be moved to safety. During the fight, Miller was wounded by a second gunshot to his left side. He ignored his injuries and fought for 25 minutes, throwing every grenade, and firing every bullet at his disposal. Eventually someone from the patrol reached Miller’s position and began administering aid, but it was too late. Miller succumbed to his injuries, and the rest of the patrol retreated until reinforcements could arrive. With this support, ODA and their allies fought for seven more hours before finally defeating the enemy.

A post battle assessment revealed that the initial patrol had killed 40 and wounded 60 of the over 140 insurgents in the ambush. The mission was a success, having reduced enemy safe havens and set conditions for future operations.

On October 6th, 2010, Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and sacrifice in the Gowardesh Valley. Without Miller, air support wouldn’t have had accurate enough information to do a strike, the patrol would not have been able to retreat, and the detachment commander would not have been evacuated. He’s credited with killing 16 enemies and wounding over 30, as well as saving 7 members of his team and 16 ANA soldiers.

The Medal of Honor podcast is a production of Evergreen Podcasts.

Nathan Corson is our executive producer and mixing engineer, Declan Rohrs is our associate producer, scriptwriter, and recording engineer, and I’m Ken Harbaugh.

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