Bragg soldier to get posthumous Medal of Honor

Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, 24, sacrificed his own life to save the lives of his comrades and 15 Afghanistan National Army soldiers during a Jan. 25, 2008, reconnaissance mission, according to a news release from Special Operations Command. He fended off fire from Taliban insurgents in the village of Barikowt, near the Pakistani border, to allow his team to fall back to a safe position.

The Medal of Honor is awarded to a member of the armed forces for heroism above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in combat. The meritorious conduct must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life.

A native of Harrisburg, Pa., Miller enlisted in the Army in August 2003 as a Special Forces candidate, and he became a Green Beret in 2005. He served as a weapons sergeant in Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).

Miller is survived by his parents, Phil and Maureen Miller, three brothers and three sisters. His parents will join Obama at the White House for the Oct. 6 Medal of Honor ceremony.