Lyle H. Miller was born on March 10, 1889, in Athens, Michigan. He attended the local high school and subsequently went to the Albion College, where he later graduated with Bachelor of Arts degree. Miller then worked as an instructor at Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri, before was commissioned second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in August 1914. He was subsequently ordered to the instruction for 17 months at the Marine Officers' School, Norfolk, Virginia and took part in the Veracruz Expedition aboard the battleship USS "Illinois" within the course.