A moment of silence was held at this year’s Memorial Day Parade in Aurora, honoring last year’s Grand Marshall, US Navy veteran Richard “Dick” Miller, who died over the weekend at the age of 98.
Remembering Miller is unique in that we can hear about him, in his own words, thanks to previously recorded audio provided by the City of Aurora.
“I’m so glad to come home and marry my sweetheart, who I met in the 1st grade at St. Paul Lutheran School”, said Miller in a video tribute recorded in 2024.
Miller who lived in Aurora all of his life, other than his time away at war, worked at the post office and served as an ambassador for the City's strong veteran community.
“From World War II, down to Korea, Vietnam, and over in the Middle East. We’re just like a clan, we stick together”, Miller said.
Surviving the 1945 sinking of the USS Drexler off the coast of Okinawa with burns to his legs, he received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, while 168 others on board lost their lives.
Before his passing, Miller had said that people don’t think enough about the sacrifices men and women of the U.S. armed forces have made for our freedom.
“During the war, they left their businesses, they left their families, children, and they were gone for years. They gave everything they had, some didn’t come back.”, said Miller.
