Rank Brigadier general | ||
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Born September 10, 1890Alloway Township, New Jersey ( 1890-09-10 ) Allegiance United States of America Died 7 January 1949, San Antonio, Texas, United States Similar Cleto Rodríguez, Clinton D "Casey" Vincent, Lucian Adams, Lloyd Herbert Hughes, Emil F Reinhardt | ||
Henry Jervis Friese Miller (September 10, 1890 - January 7, 1949) served as a general in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He was demoted to the rank of colonel as a result of a security breach related to the allied invasion of Normandy.
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Early life
Miller was born on September 10, 1890, in Alloway Township, New Jersey, to John and Mary Miller. After receiving an education from the local public schools, Miller enrolled in the United States Military Academy and graduated with the class of 1915.
Military career
After graduation, Miller was assigned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Cavalry and served near El Paso, Texas during the Pancho Villa Expedition of 1916. He was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1917 and then Major in 1918.
In 1917, Miller transferred to the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and completed primary flight training at Rockwell Field. He served with the American Expeditionary Forces in England from September to December 1918. After the war, Miller returned to the United States and participated in the 1919 Transcontinental Air Race. Miller served many assignments between 1921 and 1941 in both the United States Army Air Service and the United States Army Air Corps, most notably a tour as Commanding Officer of Duncan Field Air Depot that earned him a promotion to Brigadier General in the Army Air Corps on July 10, 1941. He was promoted again to Major General on February 27, 1942, and became the chief of the 9th Air Force Air Service Command based out of Wright Field.
In 1944, while attending a dinner party at the Claridge Hotel in London, Miller leaked the date of the upcoming Operation Overlord during a conversation with a fellow officer, saying that "the invasion will come before June 15." When news of this security breach reached Supreme Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower in May 1944, Miller was demoted to his permanent rank of Lieutenant Colonel and sent home. On November 30, 1944, he retired from service due to physical disability, and in December 1948 was promoted on the retired list to the grade of Brigadier General.
Death and legacy
Miller moved to San Antonio, Texas in the spring of 1948 and lived there until his death on January 7, 1949. He was buried in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
Miller was portrayed by actor Paul Gittins in the 2004 film Ike: Countdown to D-Day.