The father of a Medal of Honor recipient from suburban Wheaton who was killed in battle in Afghanistan in 2008 said he is experiencing strong emotions following the end of America’s longest war and the evacuation of US troops and allies.
"It feels like we’re going through it all over again," said Phil Miller, father of Staff Sgt. Robert (Robby) Miller. “Frankly, it’s been an awful experience.”
Robert Miller, a 2002 graduate of Wheaton North High School and a US Army Green Beret, sacrificed his life to save nearly two dozen Coalition Force members who were pinned down in a firefight in Afghanistan.
Robert Miller was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in 2010.
"One of the main things I’ve heard a lot, the big concern for a relative lost in combat is worrying if the death was in vain. We hadn’t felt that way," Miller said.
But Miller said what was initially a “fantastic military victory” for the US in Afghanistan has been thrown away by the Biden administration.
"The degree of harm that’s done by this, I don’t think we can measure how bad it is yet," Miller said.
Local
President Biden has defended the withdrawal and said he was not going to extend a forever war and a forever exit.
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