Patrick Miller

Patrick Wayne Miller (born January 15, 1980) is a United States Army soldier. He was a private first class during the 2003 invasion of Iraq with the U.S. Army's 507th Maintenance Company, serving as a mechanic, becoming a POW. For his actions leading up to his capture, he was awarded the Silver Star for valor. He retired from the United States Army in August 2022. Early life and education Miller is a 1998 graduate of Valley Center High School in Valley Center, Kansas a town of 5,000 people outside Wichita, Kansas. Employed in civilian life as a welder, he joined the U.S. Army in the summer of 2002, to help pay for his student loans. Career 2003: 507th ambush On March 23, 2003, Iraqi forces ambushed the trail convoy element of the 507th Maintenance Company that had taken a wrong turn near An Nasiriyah. There had been bitter fighting around Nasiriyah, a vital crossing point of the River Euphrates. Miller was driving the last truck in the convoy with Private First Class Brandon Sloan and Sergeant James Riley as passengers. During the attack, he floored the accelerator, trying to steer and duck bullets at the same time. Enemy fire killed Sloan and damaged his truck's transmission, disabling the vehicle.