Hero Spotlight: From Court Martial to Medal of Honor — The Lewis Millett Sr. Story
Normally, a hero’s story doesn’t include a court-martial, but Lewis Millett Sr. was never one to follow the “normal” path. This outside-the-box veteran is the subject of this month’s Hero Spotlight.
Eager to Serve
Millett grew up with stories about his family’s history of military service. His grandfather served in the Civil War and his uncle served during World War I. Lewis was so inspired by these accounts of soldiering that he joined the National Guard while he was still in high school.
After graduating in 1940, Millett saw that war was breaking out in Europe, and he was ready for the fight. He joined the Army Air Corps, but after a few months, he decided the U.S. was taking too long to enter the war. Eager for combat, he left the Army without being discharged to join the Royal Canadian Artillery Regiment and fight on the side of the Allies.
Serving in London as a radar operator for Canada, Millett turned himself in to the U.S. Embassy after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He was placed back in the U.S. Army and assigned to the 1st Armored Division.
WWII Heroics
During his initial WWII Army service, he shot down a German fighter plane using a vehicle-mounted machine gun and earned the Silver Star for saving several Allied soldiers in an event that seems straight out of an action movie.
Millet saw a burning half-track on the verge of blowing up. The vehicle was filled with ammunition, risking the lives of several nearby soldiers. Thinking quickly, Millett jumped into it and drove it away from the others, and leapt to safety just before it exploded.
A Court-Martial and a Long Military Career
Despite his heroics, Millett’s desertion to join the Canadian forces finally caught up to him. He was court-martialed, convicted, fined $52, and denied leave. According to his brother, “He didn’t give a hoot about the leave privileges because he wasn’t going anyway, but he was a little annoyed about the 52 bucks.”
As if his WWII service were not enough, Lewis Millett Sr. went on to earn the Medal of Honor for heroic service in Korea. Read more about his incredible hero of two pivotal wars here.
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