Delbert W. Miller
Lovingly known as "Uncle Buck"

(1918-1984)

Eva, Sally, Janie, Mary, Susie, Buck

Warren

Warren Eugene Miller  Buck's Son

 

1st Lt. Delbert W. Miller, 40th Bomb Group, 44th Squadron, Army Air Force, 1943-1945 Delbert W. “Buck” Miller, son of Walter C. and Eliza Miller of Dupree, SD, entered the service 18 April 1943. Flight training, Gunnery and Advanced Bombardier courses were attended in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. ‘Doc, the bronco buster from South Dakota’ as he was known at Bombardiers school, graduated in the Class 44-7 Bombardiers at Kirtland Army Air Field, NM. He was assigned as bombardier in a B-29. He located, identified and bombed assigned targets while on bombing missions; inspected and tested bombsights and allied equipment prior to clearing the ground, and on occasion, helped to navigate the aircraft. Delbert was based in India, China, and Tinian in the Marianas and flew missions over Manchuria, China, Burma, Thailand, French Indo-China, Malay Peninsula Japan, and Honshu. He was wounded in action 26 May 1945 when his plane was shot down over Tokyo by ack ack. Dad said he parachuted out of a window that was way too small to fit through let alone make it out with his flight suit and chute on. He figured God had a plan for him by allowing him to live. When he was captured, the Japanese civilians put a noose around his neck ready to hang him and the Japanese soldiers saved him. He was a prisoner of war at the Omori POW Camp, Japan, for 3 months and 3 days. He was rescued when the United States Navy entered Tokyo on 29 August 1945. The family at home had received word that he was MIA, believed dead. Uncle Casey Miller wrote, “ . . . it was the worst day in my life when I had to come home and tell our parents that their youngest son had been shot down and was missing in action  and presumed dead.” Just before the war ended Aunt Inez Boettcher and Aunt Verna Flick together at Verna’s house listened to a radio broadcast of a list of POW’s. Upon hearing their brother Buck’s name they opened a can of pineapple to celebrate! 1st Lt. Delbert W. Miller, 40th Bomb Group, 44th Squadron, received the following decorations and citations: the Victory Medal, Air Medal, Purple Heart, Asiatic-Pacific Theater Medal with 6 Bronze Stars, and the American Theater Medal.    (medals) The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe held a Pow-Wow in his honor christening him with the Indian name Flying Eagle. Dad never spoke much about his captivity in Japan. He said that as a POW involved in bombing missions, they were thrown handfuls of rice and fish heads and that they would have eaten roaches had they been strong enough and fast enough to catch them. We remember Dad telling us that when he was liberated from the POW camp, he was so thin he was able to circle his waist with his two hands. Another story was of the ‘gauntlet’ the POW’s were forced to walk where two rows of Japanese soldiers would line up and hold iron bars at a certain height. The prisoners were blindfolded and forced to quickly walk between them. Dad said he was so lucky to be so short, 5’4”, as he missed being hit on the head by the bars. He made light of his treatment while a prisoner at Omori Camp. A friend and member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe who stayed with him at his parents home south of Dupree while he was convalescing remembers the scars on his back from mistreatment while in the POW camp. He always said he was never treated that badly, not nearly as bad as some of the other prisoners. It was his nature to minimize the atrocities he experienced so that no one would feel bad for him. Years later, the chaplain at Ft. Meade who spoke at Dad’s burial at the National Cemetery at Sturgis in 1984 related that when he was in the Chapel at Ft. Meade on a Sunday morning a few weeks before Christmas 1983, he noticed Dad sitting quietly with head bowed and tears running down his face. He asked, “Delbert, is anything wrong? Are you okay?” Dad replied, “I look around and there are so many here who have not been nearly as fortunate as I. I have so much to be thankful for.” Dad passed away about 3 weeks later as a result of complications from heart surgery. Submitted in his memory by his daughters: Sally Sanderson,  Sue Starr, Janie Davis and Mary Briggs.

 

Field Title Value Meaning NAME MILLER DELBERT W MILLER DELBERT W RANK 2nd LT Second Lieutenant SERVICE NUMBER O&777906 O&777906 ARM OR SERVICE AC Air Corps SOURCE PC NARA World War II POWs database SUBORDINATE UNIT 44th Bomb Sqdn 44th Bombardment Squadron ASSIGNED UNIT 40th Bomb Gp (VH) 40th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) PARENT UNIT 20th Air Force 20th Air Force

 

Returned POW List, Omori, Tokyo Base Camp #1  About Omori    Omori Prisoner of War facility on SW edge of Tokyo; each prisoner had a space 24 x 70 inches.     Pictures   (posted by Wes Injerd) These links are with permission given on http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/about.html Information gathered by Roger Mansell, Palo Alto, CA Delbert W. Miller was shot down May 26, 1945, over Tokyo, plane #42-63538 & held at Omori. He was with the 58th Bomb Wing, 40th Bomb Group, 44th Bomb Sqn.  The camp was rescued on August 28, 1945.  Delbert weighed less than 100 lbs.

 

Delbert Miller medals

Omori

POW Newsletter WWII

 

Della Margarite McDaniel married Delbert on October 29, 1943 and they were divorced on March 1, 1946.  She died September 9, 2005, at 82 years of age.

Delbert is buried at Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis,  G-6220 Delbert's daughters with Karen Miller   Buck, Grandma Eliza, Donald   Buck with Susie and Sally at Grandma's house.   Casey on Buck's lap at the VA Hospital Buck with his POW license. Uncle Buck, always fun! Delbert

(click thumbnails to enlarge)

Hazel, Inez, Donald,  Verna and Delbert as little kids.	Iny and Buck		Buck,Sally,Sue
Mary, Karen, Sally	Millers, Hendersons,  Dennis'	Donald, Buck, Verna, Eunice, Casey, Hazel, Fred	WC & Eliza's Family grown.
Oschners & Buck	Family Reunion	Eliza, Walter and entire growing family	Millers & Hendersons
Cattibrie Riggle, ZaneJoens	Janie, Mary Buck's daughters.	Mary, Keva's Family Keva Joens is Mary's daughter. Keva's beautiful art, for Casey's funeral.	1942 Buck, Fred
Zane Joens wins!	Delbert Miller and Hendersons from "History of the Prairie"

 

USS Dennis

USS Fogg

James L. Turner

Delbert Miller

 

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