Marine lived life in protector’s role, now laid to rest (Ryan E. Miller)

When he was 4 years old, Ryan Miller sprinted to the end of his driveway to keep his younger sister, Tara, from toddling into traffic.

Seventeen years later, that was the one memory Kathie Masters, Ryan’s aunt, recalled when she heard her nephew had been killed in Iraq.

"Tears were streaming down his face and he was screaming, ‘No, Tara! No! " Masters said during the eulogy for Miller yesterday. "He ran to shield her from harm’s way."

That same love, that same compassion and courage, led Miller, of Gahanna, to join the Marines during a time of war.

He died Sept. 3 at age 21 when his Humvee struck a roadside bomb in Anbar province. He had been in Iraq for nine months and was serving his second tour of duty.

More than 500 mourners paid their respects yesterday at St. Matthew the Apostle Catholic Church in Gahanna, where Miller was a member. He was a 2003 graduate of St. Francis DeSales High School.

Bells tolled as mourners arrived in a sea of black and in Marine uniforms. Miller’s family — his parents, Ed and Mary, and his sister — walked into the church as the organ sounded the final notes of God Bless America.

The Rev. Anthony P. Lonzo said Miller was molded by the values of his parents.

"He was a man of God, a man of honor, a man of respect," Lonzo said. "These are the values that made him the man he is and was when he joined the Marine Corps, and made the ultimate sacrifice of his life."

Read the rest at the Columbus Dispatch

Miller remembered as friend, hero

Marine Lance Cpl. Ryan Miller was remembered by former teachers and classmates at St. Francis DeSales High School as a dedicated friend and exemplary student.

Miller, 21, was killed Sept. 3 while on assignment with K Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines in Iraq's Anbar province.

"It's been a very difficult day," DeSales principal Dan Garrick said at the close of classes Tuesday afternoon. "We have a number of students here, as every school does, that have loved ones involved in this conflict. When you have news such as this, it brings it a lot closer to home. That fear and tension becomes more palpable for folks when the hear something of this nature."

Students, many of whom attended classes with Miller or his younger sister Tara, started the day with a special prayer for the Miller family. The school's chapel was left open all day for students to write their own prayers in an "intentions book," Garrick said. A candle has been left burning in Miller's honor.

"It would be difficult at any point for any community, but with the family atmosphere of our school, it does feel like we've lost one of our sons," Garrick said.

"We're deeply, deeply saddened," he continued. "There's a very strong void in our community."

Miller's family has ties to the school going back to DeSales' founding 40 years ago, Garrick said.

"Quite honestly, the family is really an example of the St. Francis DeSales community," he said.

Miller joined the Marines in 2003, immediately following his high school graduation.

He served seven months in Iraq from February to September 2004 and returned in July for another seven-month assignment.

Read the rest at This Week

Fallen Marine 'would have made a fine police officer'

A third generation Marine, Ryan Adam Miller planned to join the Houston Police Department after serving his country and follow in the footsteps of his parents.

But just a few weeks shy of the completion of his tour in Iraq, the 19-year-old from Pearland was killed in action near Bawana, Iraq.

"He followed his dad into the Marines, and planned to wear his mother's badge when he joined the police department," said a longtime friend and neighbor, Katie King.

Read the rest at the Houston Chronicle

Related Link:
Marine who survived one attack killed days later (Ryan Miller)

Note: Due to problems with blogger we were unable to post news of the fallen for the last 10 days. This post is part of the update from that period.