Their Story

Ray Clifford Miller was born on November 5, 1923, in Sweetland Township, Muscatine County, Iowa, the son of Walter George and Myrtle Schmitt Miller. His father died on April 17, 1947, and his mother died in 1953.1
Miller married Helen Vincent on September 15, 1945, in Muscatine, Iowa. Helen died on May 2, 1967, in Muscatine. He later married Norma Nelson in 1977.2
Miller was drafted and entered the U.S. Army Air Corps on June 30, 1942. He attended a gunner’s school in Las Vegas, Nevada, and completed his training at Dyersburg, Tennessee. Miller was assigned to the 15th Air Force as a gunner on a bomber serving in Italy.3 He was listed as missing in action over Austria, held prisoner, and later returned to duty in Italy on May 4, 1945. Miller had been overseas for six months and had completed sixteen missions at the time of his capture.4
The 15th Air Force was activated in the Mediterranean Theatre on November 1, 1943. The bomb group took part in strategic bombardment of targets in Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, and the Balkans until the end of the war. The 15th destroyed all gasoline production within its range in southern Europe, knocked out all the major aircraft factories in its area, and destroyed 6,282 enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground.5
Staff Sergeant Miller was awarded the Purple Heart for his service during World War II.6 He was honorably discharged on October 15, 1945.
After leaving the service, Miller was employed for several years at S.G. & P. Stein Furniture in Muscatine, Iowa. He later worked part-time at Hubble’s in Muscatine.7
Ray Clifford Miller died on February 15, 1999, in Davenport, Iowa. He was survived by his wife, Norma; daughter, Rae Egeland; son Gerald; stepsons, Joel, Doug and Dennis Nelson; eleven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.8
References
1 Raymond Clifford Miller – Facts (ancestry.com).
2 Raymond Clifford Miller – Facts (ancestry.com).
3 10 Nov 1944, Page 3 – The Muscatine Journal and News-Tribune at Newspapers.com.
4 15 May 1945, Page 3 – The Muscatine Journal and News-Tribune at Newspapers.com.
5 Fifteenth Air Force | American Air Museum in Britain.
6 Ray Clifford Miller (1923-1999) – Find a Grave Memorial.
7 Obituary for Ray C. Miller, 1923-1999 (Aged 75) – Newspapers.com.
8 Obituary for Ray C. Miller, 1923-1999 (Aged 75) – Newspapers.com.