Reluctant Raider

The Navy paid honor last week to one of its hard bitten heroes of the long Pacific air war:

Commander Norman ("Bus") Miller commanded the Liberator squadron known as "Miller's Reluctant Raiders." His own patched, scarred bomber, decorated with a painting of a chamber pot and named "Thunder Mug," is covered with the record of his missions.

In seven and a half months his squadron sank 43 Jap ships, probably sank or damaged 91 others. But Miller's most brilliant record is his own. He himself definitely sank 20 of those ships, totaling 35,500 tons, among them a destroyer and a 10,000-ton tanker; probably sank or damaged 46 totaling 28,350 tons, among them a light cruiser, a destroyer, two destroyer escorts. (Not included in that record: barges, sail boats, sampans. Miller sank so many that he was too embarrassed to report them.)

His favorite hunting ground was the Truk lagoon, where he habitually flew through a storm of flak at 50 ft. in order to bomb and strafe Jap ships.

It was over Puluwat Island that the tall, drawling, 36-year-old Miller got the one wound which ever grounded him for very long. An antiaircraft shell burst just above his plane, put Miller out of the fight for six days.

Last week Bus Miller was back in the U.S. to become the blushing recipient of two more medals: gold stars in lieu of a fourth Distinguished Flying Cross, and a fourth Air Medal. Miller now wears ten decorations. His new assignment: a training job in San Diego. His one object in life is "to get this damn war over and get home to my children." He has five in Jacksonville.

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