Clinton Miller laid to rest

Greenfield, Ia. — A thousand mourners packed the Nodaway Valley High School gymnasium Wednesday, five days before Christmas, to honor Lance Cpl. Clinton "C.J." Miller, the latest Iowan to die in the Iraq war.

The crowd set aside holiday planning on a rainy day that turned into a celebration of a young Marine who gave his life in the line of duty. As holiday decorations adorned utility poles, U.S. flags flew at half staff in front of government buildings, the school, businesses and homes. Here and there, a Marine flag flew as well. There was little evidence anyone was shopping, even though schools were dismissed for the day.

A single imitation candle shone in each courthouse window, intended no doubt for the season, but this day offering a sense of warmth and calm in a different way.

"C.J. willingly chose to put others ahead of himself," Pastor Bryan Anderson said later at the young man's funeral.

The Marine died Dec. 11 of injuries from a roadside bomb explosion in Anbar Province. Based in San Diego, he was deployed to Iraq in September, a bit more than a year after his wedding. He was the 48th person with ties to Iowa to die in Iraq or Afghanistan from combat, illness or accident since March 2003.

On Wednesday, an eerie calm set over cloud-darkened Greenfield, the county seat of Adair County. An hour before the funeral, a flock of Canada geese flew over in V-formation, almost as if mimicking a military flyover. A lone motorcyclist, wearing several layers of gear topped by desert camouflage rain gear, finished a 150-mile trek in rain and wind with time to spare, the U.S. flag waving on the back of his cycle.

Miller joined the Marines knowing he would probably be sent to Iraq. A 2001 graduate of Nodaway Valley High School, where he played football, wrestled and later coached, Miller died 23 years, eight months and 12 days after his birth in Creston. He and his wife, Jackie, married in June 2005.

As mourners walked through a school lobby to the gym, they passed the flag-draped coffin, a stand holding Miller's Purple Heart, and a display of photos that took him from his diaper days to training wheels to wedding day. Just above the Purple Heart display was a school sign declaring that "Conduct Counts."

A military policeman, Miller also received the combat action ribbon, the National Defense Medal and other awards. His funeral came with full military honors from Echo Company, 2nd Battalion of the 24th Marines.

Inside the gym, where few seats were unoccupied on the floor or in the bleachers, three dozen floral arrangements framed a stage wrapped in a U.S. flag-themed banner. The medals were on display. Miller's casket, which by then had been escorted in by Marines, was in front of center stage. The family alone filled 10 rows of the gym floor. Recorded Sousa marches greeted the audience, a diverse group ranging from students to senior citizens, jeans to suits and full military uniforms.

At 9:59 a.m., a minute before the service, a recorded version of the "Star-Spangled Banner" played. At 10 sharp, taps followed. Then after moments of silence, there were recorded bagpipes as the family filed in.

A video and pictorial tribute on a screen in the Nodaway gym showed Miller coloring Easter eggs, climbing rocks, wearing his football jersey, and getting married. It ended with his square-jawed, steel-eyed Marine portrait. The tribute had many in the crowd sobbing and dabbing their eyes.

"It's hard not to picture him on the wrestling mat, or on the side of the mat (as a coach)," said Anderson, the pastor, who also recalled Miller playing God in a church skit once. A fellow coach recently said of Miller: "The kids respected him, they looked up to him and they had fun with him." Miller also played guitar and sang karaoke.

"Just remember that he is one of society's last heroes ... in an era when people his age often balk at valor and concern," Anderson said, reading a letter from Miller's superior officer.

Jackie Miller told the minister this about her husband: "He was patient, loving, and my best friend."

Miller's father, Kerby, called Miller "the ultimate son."

The sobs over the Powerpoint presentation on Miller's life began when the first baby pictures hit the screen. The photos and videos showed Miller crawling, starting to walk, playing and smiling. As a Marine. As a high-school athlete. Swimming. Coloring Easter eggs. Sticking out his tongue. Perched on a motorcycle. Climbing rocks. Kissing the mounted head of a buck deer.

At one point, a voice on the background music proudly proclaimed: "I wanna be a drill instructor. I wanna wear the Smokey Bear. I'm going to cut off all my hair."

A bagpiper closed the one-hour service with "Amazing Grace" and "Danny Boy."

Burial was in Calvary Cemetery in Creston.

A sign on the Nodaway High School lobby wall said it all on this day of honoring Miller: "Respect: You learn it, you earn it."

From the Register

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Clinton J. Miller killed in combat