He fought with them until the end. Then kept fighting for them long after.
November 11, 1900: Virgil Rasmuss Miller, Regimental Commander of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, was born in Puerto Rico.
Virgil Rasmuss Miller was born in San Germán, Puerto Rico, at the dawn of a new century. During World War I, he served in the Puerto Rico Home Guard, a local militia formed to defend the island. His discipline and sense of duty carried him through the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry in 1924.
Over the next two decades, Miller built a steady and distinguished career. In 1940, he was transferred to Hawaii, serving first with the 21st Infantry Brigade and later with the 24th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks on the island of Oʻahu. When the United States entered World War II, those years of experience would prove crucial.
Because of his lifelong experience with people of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, it was believed he would do particularly well with the young Japanese American men from Hawaii and the mainland United States. They were right.
Earning the Trust of the Nisei Soldiers
Miller was assigned to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, where he trained Japanese American volunteers of the newly formed 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The Nisei soldiers quickly earned top marks in discipline, physical conditioning, and marksmanship, impressing even the most skeptical officers.
When Regimental Commander Colonel Charles W. Pence was injured, Lieutenant Colonel Miller was promoted to Colonel and appointed Executive Officer of the 442nd RCT in June 1943. The unit included the 442nd Infantry Regiment, the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, the 232nd Combat Engineer Company, the 206th Army Ground Forces Band, and the 100th Infantry Battalion from Hawaii’s National Guard.
Among the campaigns Miller led were the Rome–Arno, North Apennines, and Po Valley operations — some of the most grueling battles of the European front.
The Lost Battalion and a Choice of Loyalty
One of Miller’s defining moments came in October 1944, when the “Lost Battalion” of Texas was cut off by German forces. Miller and his men of the 442nd fought through six days of relentless combat to reach them. They succeeded, rescuing 211 soldiers, but at the cost of more than 800 casualties.
In January 1945, Miller was offered a significant promotion and an opportunity to return home. He declined. His loyalty was to his Nisei soldiers, and he chose to remain with the 442nd.
Later, at a memorial service on May 6, 1945 for the fallen men of the 442nd, Colonel Miller delivered words that defined not only his leadership, but his character:
“The sacrifice made by our comrades was great. We must not fail them in the fight that continues, in the fight that will be with us even when peace comes. Your task will be the harder and more arduous one, for it will extend over a longer time.”
Legacy and Honor
Even in peace, he understood that the struggle for equality, recognition, and justice would not end on the battlefield. After the war, Miller continued to advocate for his men.
Colonel Virgil R. Miller was more than a commander. He was a bridge between cultures, a leader who looked past race, and a man who fought for his soldiers long after the shooting stopped. He was a leader, an ally, and a true friend — an important part of the family.
When he passed away on August 5, 1968, he was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. The 442nd Regimental Colors were sent from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, to accompany his casket, with the assistance of Senator Daniel K. Inouye, one of the many soldiers whose lives he had shaped.