Wolfman Of Arundel Island

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Lt. Hugh Barr Miller Jr. was a survivor of the sinking of the USS Strong by a Japanese torpedo.  Severely wounded by the shock wave of the destroyer's depth charges exploding, him and a few others made it to the Japanese held island Arundel.  He gave his shoes and knife to the other men and told them to try to get to a U. S. base, they were never seen again.  When he didn't die he started searching for food, having to avoid Japanese patrols.  He found the body of an Imperial soldier and took his grenades and bayonet.  Then he started attacking machine gun nests and patrols, he ambushed the narrow gauge train that supplied the soldiers, and in general was a huge pain in the ass to the Japanese.  The navy was monitoring Japanese radio, and started hearing about a wolfman killing soldiers on Arundel.  Finally he was spotted by an American scout plane and was rescued.  He dropped his captured machine gun into the ocean and swam out to the plane.  He received the Navy Cross for his incredible gallantry, I would say aggression, and numerous other awards.  He should have got the Medal of Honor but there were no witnesses.  (not counting Japanese radio intercepts indicating how much trouble they were having with this monster).  Miller led the Crimson Tide to Rose Bowl victory in 1931 as a 140 lb. quarterback.  Miller was a lawyer before the war.  Here he displays the flag he took off a Japanese officer after he killed him, he also took his sword.  Miller returned the sword to the family after the war.
 

One of my earliest posts was about Miller-
 



I lay like that for hours.
 

Jap held Arundel Island.
 
 
This guy was no movie hero trained in breaking necks with a flick of his wrist or some kind of super commando, he was a focused person that liked to win.  I cannot speak highly enough of him.  Halsey himself recommended Miller for the Medal of Honor, the bureaucracy of our government is a petty and jealous one.
 

 I wonder that this artist didn't put him in full navy whites.


Much, much better.  After all, that Jap's a sap, we slapped his yap!

Wearing the Navy Cross and a Purple Heart with Gold Star that Eleanor Roosevelt has just pinned to his newly issued khaki uniform, Hugh Miller shakes hands with the First Lady as Admiral William Halsey (to Hugh’s immediate right) looks on. The ceremony—held at the naval hospital in Nouméa, New Caledonia, on September 15, 1943—was conducted at the foot of the bed occupied by Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Willard G. Langley, the sole known survivor of Strong’s forward engine room.   For his war service he was awarded the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, six Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, and 27 other individual and unit decorations. He retired as a Navy Captain before passing away in 1978.


I was in Marine boot camp a month after his death.  Such an honor to have been a contemporary of this terrific warrior.
 
 
 

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