Thomas G Miller

"Tommy", The Christmas Miracle by The Christmas Angel, Vin Richter, Miami, Fla.

     Above is the portrait of US Navy Radioman 2C Thomas "Tommy" Gerald Miller.  I feel like I know him.   His parents are Mr. and Mrs. Addison Tracy Miller formerly 1328 Sorollo Ave in Coral Gables, Fl.  He has a twin sister Patricia Stephenson, sisters Burl and Florence and brothers Jack and Dick.  I think he went to St. Teresa High School (Tibido?) and had a lifelong friend named John Wheeler (living, email for info).  I know all this from his obituary which I researched in The Miami Herald and from his friend John who phoned me after the story appeared in the Miami Herald over 2 years ago.

     I started this project by accident.  I was showing my son our former family jewelry store located on Flagler Street in downtown Miami.   It's still there and almost unchanged since my father relocated the store to Palm Beach in the late 60's.  I was telling the lady who owns the current eyeglass store who I was, and she asked if I knew anything about the 40 portraits that were stored in the attic.  My father later told me that those portraits had been painted by the Gold Star Women of Miami who had taken it upon themselves to paint a portrait of every Dade County soldier killed in the war.  My Uncle Robert died in the Phillipines and my grandfather Joe became "ground zero" for fallen soldiers families in Miami.  The portraits were stored in the  attic in hopes that they would be displayed in some permanent memorial that was never built.  They remained there since the mid '40's till I found them.   

     On the back of each portrait was the last name of each soldier.  From there, I  tracked down the family members so that the portrait could be returned.  To date, I have found the families of 21 of the 40 portraits and Tommy will make 22.   I pretty much gave up the search a while back, but every year around X Mas I do a little more research on the web, since we both know how much new information is added everyday.  I had a hunch Patricia was somewhere but I could not find her.  It must be a twin thing...I have a twin brother Stefan who helped me with this task. 

     How coincidental that you posted this such a short time ago.  It gives me hope that I'll find family of the others.  (to; Barbi Ennis Connolly, about Patricia Stephenson and her step-son Henry Stephenson, Jr.)

You have no idea how much joy it gives me to pack and ship a portrait to its rightful owner.  The stories have been sad, joyful and poignant all at the same time.  My niece Sarah wrote about this as her college essay to get into University of Pennsylvania.  I had the pleasure of personally meeting several families who live in the Miami area.  I have delivered portraits to sons, daughters, sisters, nieces, nephews and in one case to a best friend.  I wanted to give the portrait to John Wheeler but he would not take it; certain that Patricia was somewhere.

    In the middle of Christmas Eve Day, the note was delivered to BARBI THROUGH FOOTNOTE " from Vin, (below)  We were able to reach Henry, who went for his beloved "Other-Mother-Pat" and she was able to SEE Tommy on the computer. . . . Could there ever be a greater Gift ?  And ON Christmas Eve !   Now the painting is on it's way to her :)   -B

"Vin, YOU have no idea how much joy you have brought to Patricia and her Family !"

Fron Henry W Stephenson, Jr. " 321stBG,447thBS, Capt H Stephenson's wife/Pat's Brother "Thomas Gerard Miller (1925-1944)

 Tommy was KIA  on June 8, 1944 when the USS Rich hit a mine off Utah Beach.  He had just turned 19 and had already survived  being torpedoed off Murmansk,Russia in late 1942 or 1943.   

Pat told me that she believes Dad didn't talk to her very much about the war because she had lost her twin brother Tommy Miller, at D-Day. He was on the USS Rich when it hit two mines off Utah Beach on June 8, 1944. She added that earlier in the war, Tommy's ship was torpedoed off Murmansk and he had survived the sinking and the Russians.

Pat and her older sister Florence, who is visiting, were very appreciative of your memorial to Tommy.  Pat said that they were from Coral Gables, FL.  She added that she and Tommy were the first twins born in Coral Gables.  Last December Pat received a newspaper article from a high school acquaintance about Coral Gables'  WWII KIA and Missing. Years ago an artist took it upon herself to do a portrait of each of the heroes from photographs.  Over the years they were lost but were rediscovered.   The newspaper article had a big color photo of Tommy's  portrait in his Sailor uniform. Tommy looks so very, very young. Needless to say, it was quite moving for Pat, Florence and their older sister Mary Helen.

PRINCESSBARBI_B25@msn.com   

Soon after 0830 on June 8, Rich was ordered to Fire Support Area 3 to assist Glennon (DD-840) which had struck a mine northwest of the Saint-Mareouf Islands. Closing Glennon, Rich dispatched a whaleboat only to learn that her assistance was not needed at that point. Rich then started to round the disabled ship and take up station ahead of the minesweeper which had taken Glennon in tow. At approximately 0920, a mine exploded 50 yards off Rich's starboard beam. Three minutes later, a second went off directly under the ship. Approximately 50 feet of her stern was blown off. A third mine delivered the final blow 2 minutes later. The forward section buckled. Rich was ordered abandoned. A few minutes later, she sank. Of her crew, 27 were killed, 73 wounded and 62 missing.

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

http://spg.navymemorial.org/ShipsIndividual.aspx?id_no=8805

U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945
Name: Thomas G Miller
Gender: Male
Race: White
Religion: Catholic
Cemetery Name: Cambridge Permanent Cemetery, Cambridge, England
Grave number: D 7 41
Disposition: According to next of kin
Service Branch: Navy
Rank: Radio Man 2nd Class
Service Number: 5517137
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World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945
Name: Thomas Gerald Miller
Relative Name: Mr. and Mrs. Addison Tracy Miller
Relative Relationship: Parents (Parent)
State: Florida
Country: United States
Roll: ww2c_27
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WWI, WWII, and Korean War Casualty Listings
Name: Thomas G. Miller
Death Date: 8 Jun 1944
Cemetery: Cambridge American Cemetery
Cemetery Burial Plot: Plot D Row 7 Grave 41
Cemetery City: Cambridge
Cemetery Country: England
WAR: World War II
Title: Radioman, Second Class
Rank: Radioman, Second Class
Service: U.S. Navy
Service ID: 5517137
Division: United States Navy
Data Source: World War II Honor Roll
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National WWII Memorial, Washington, D.C.
Registry~NARA~War Department Files
Honoree Hometown Service Source   
Thomas G. Miller Coral Gables, FL U.S. Navy Ms. Patricia Stephenson   
Thomas G. Miller
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy
HOMETOWN: Coral Gables, FL
HONORED BY: Ms. Patricia Stephenson, Sister  
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National WWII Memorial, Washington, D.C.
Registry~NARA~War Department Files
Honoree Hometown Service Source  
Thomas Gerald Miller  Miami, FL U.S. Navy  National Archives   
Radioman 2c  Thomas Gerald Miller
Branch of Service: U.S. Navy
Hometown: Miami, FL
Status: KIA
--
National WWII Memorial, Washington, D.C.
Registry~NARA~War Department Files
Honoree Hometown Service Source  
Thomas G. Miller FL U.S. Navy ABMC Cemeteries  
Thomas G. Miller    ID: 05517137
Entered the Service From: Florida
Rank: Radioman, Second Class
Service: U.S. Navy, United States Navy
Died: Thursday, June 08, 1944
Buried at: Cambridge American Cemetery
Location: Cambridge, England
Plot: D Row: 7 Grave: 41