Franklin D . Miller Franklin Douglas " Doug " Miller ( January 27 , 1945 – June 30 , 2000 ) was a United States Army Green Beret who was awarded the United States military ' s highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in 1970 during the Vietnam War . A native of Elizabeth City , N . C . , Miller eventually retired from the Army as a command sergeant major in 1992 before becoming a benefits counselor for the Veterans Administration . Biography . Miller joined the Army from Albuquerque , New Mexico in 1966 , and in March of that year deployed with the 1st Cavalry Division to An Khe , Vietnam , in the Central Highlands . He undertook two years of airborne infantry reconnaissance work before he decided to join the special forces . Miller became a member of the elite and highly - secretive Military Assistance Command , Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group ( MAC - V SOG ) . On January 5 , 1970 , Staff Sergeant Miller , who was administratively a member of the 5th Special Forces Group , was leading a joint American - Vietnamese long - range reconnaissance patrol operating deep within enemy controlled territory in Kontum Province , Republic of Vietnam when his team was ambushed by a numerically - superior enemy force . He single - handedly held off an enemy assault , arranged for a helicopter extraction of his surviving comrades , and again fought off the enemy alone until relief arrived . For his actions during the battle , in which he was seriously wounded , he was awarded the Medal of Honor in July 1971 . Miller retold the story of that day , along with other experiences from his career in the Special Forces , in his memoir , " Reflections of a Warrior : Six Years as a Green Beret in Vietnam " . In 1992 , Miller retired from the Army as a command sergeant major and joined the Veterans Administration where he worked as a benefits counselor . He died in 2000 at age 55 and was cremated , with his ashes scattered in New Mexico . Miller was survived by a son , Joshua ; a daughter , Danielle ; and a brother , Walter , of Palmer , Alaska , who is also a retired command sergeant major of the Special Forces . The Franklin D . Miller Trust was established to provide material support for his two children . Range 37 , part of Fort Bragg in North Carolina , was rededicated in Miller ' s honor in 2002 . Medal of Honor citation . Staff Sergeant Miller ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty . S / Sgt . Miller , 5th Special Forces Group , distinguished himself while serving as team leader of an American - Vietnamese long - range reconnaissance patrol operating deep within enemy controlled territory . Leaving the helicopter insertion point , the patrol moved forward on its mission . Suddenly , 1 of the team members tripped a hostile booby trap which wounded 4 soldiers . S / Sgt . Miller , knowing that the explosion would alert the enemy , quickly administered first aid to the wounded and directed the team into positions across a small stream bed at the base of a steep hill . Within a few minutes , S / Sgt . Miller saw the lead element of what he estimated to be a platoon - size enemy force moving toward his location . Concerned for the safety of his men , he directed the small team to move up the hill to a more secure position . He remained alone , separated from the patrol , to meet the attack . S / Sgt . Miller single - handedly repulsed 2 determined attacks by the numerically superior enemy force and caused them to withdraw in disorder . He rejoined his team , established contact with a forward air controller and arranged the evacuation of his patrol . However , the only suitable extraction location in the heavy jungle was a bomb crater some 150 meters from the team location . S / Sgt . Miller reconnoitered the route to the crater and led his men through the enemy controlled jungle to the extraction site . As the evacuation helicopter hovered over the crater to pick up the patrol , the enemy launched a savage automatic weapon and rocket - propelled grenade attack against the beleaguered team , driving off the rescue helicopter . S / Sgt . Miller led the team in a valiant defense which drove back the enemy in its attempt to overrun the small patrol . Although seriously wounded and with every man in his patrol a casualty , S / Sgt . Miller moved forward to again single - handedly meet the hostile attackers . From his forward exposed position , S / Sgt . Miller gallantly repelled 2 attacks by the enemy before a friendly relief force reached the patrol location . S / Sgt . Miller ' s gallantry , intrepidity in action , and selfless devotion to the welfare of his comrades are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him , his unit , and the U . S . Army .