A Warrior’s mission

The pride in Mitch Miller’s voice is evident, as he recounts his son Brett’s experience as a soldier, severely wounded on Aug. 11, 2005, when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded six feet from his Humvee while serving as a convoy commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“I am most proud of the way Brett has handled his recovery. He still deals with problems being in crowds with loud noises, but that doesn’t stop him. He does it anyway because of his desire to help others.”

Mitch Miller is referring to Brett’s serving as a volunteer for the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), often necessitating travel across the country to speak to groups large and small to raise awareness and enlist public support for the needs of injured service members.

By telling his story of three-plus years of intensive inpatient treatment and two years of outpatient therapies, this retired sergeant puts a very personal face on the plight of hundreds of thousands of American service personnel. These wounded warriors are dealing with not only the physical injuries of war but also the invisible wounds, including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which Brett Miller describes as “a natural reaction to an unnatural situation.”

“Currently, 22 veterans a day are committing suicide due to PTSD and brain injuries,” said Miller. “If I can save just one veteran from taking their own life, this whole journey is worth it. I have lost 14 peers to suicide this year alone.”

Like Miller, another 320,000 soldiers are believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while deployed in combat. These staggering numbers reflect the advancement in battlefield medicine and body armor, which has resulted in an unprecedented percentage of service members who survive severe wounds and injuries and then must return home to deal with the long-term aftermath of their military service.

Miller himself was an early recipient of the unique direct programs and services offered to wounded service members by WWP. And he, in turn, is offering that assistance to other veterans.

“We are grateful to Brett Miller for his service to this great country,” said WWP Warriors Speak manager Matt Cubbedge. “A combat wounded veteran, Brett truly exemplifies the WWP concept of living the logo. He has gone from the warrior being carried off the battlefield, to the warrior doing the carrying. On his journey to find his new normal, Brett has taken part in every program WWP offers. He is an inspiration to other warriors with his ‘yes, you can!’ attitude.”

A Life of Service

Every facet of Miller’s life is involved in providing aid and assistance to others, especially his fellow soldiers.

His life of service began at age 16 as a volunteer for the Williams volunteer fire department after watching his family’s home burn to the ground. He went on to become a wildland firefighter, reaching the level of Incident Commander. His former boss, Doug Gannon, who was the co-owner and chief of operations for GFP Enterprises of Sisters, described Miller as a very skilled firefighter.

“Brett was probably the best crew boss we had,” said Gannon. “He was a billy goat who could cover lots of rough terrain. He had great concern for others on his crew and, like a mother hen, got them home safe.”

Gannon highlighted a major cost to Miller of his war injuries. Due to a detached retina, a ruptured eardrum, and other permanent disabilities as a result of the explosion in Iraq, Miller is no longer able to serve as a wildland firefighter, a career he loved.

Retired Shift Commander with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department (SCSFD), Gary Lovegren, was Miller’s direct supervisor when he served as a volunteer firefighter prior to his deployment to Iraq.

He and Miller are also longtime fishing buddies and good friends. Lovegren said Miller loved the fire service, and it broke his heart to no longer be able to serve. When Miller returned from Iraq the department tried everything to accommodate his injuries, but his deficits in eyesight and hearing were a safety issue for him and the other firefighters.

“I’m so proud of him and how far he’s come,” said Lovegren. “His attitude toward the other vets and toward his own life is amazing. He’s an inspiration.”

Miller was able to show his appreciation to his fire brethren for all their support during his extensive hospitalizations and rehabilitation. At the 2009 SCSFD annual dinner and awards banquet, he presented the department with a fire ax he had made using the head of an ax that had belonged to a friend who perished in the collapse of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The handle, crafted from South American purple heart wood, was inlaid with Miller’s own Purple Heart that had been awarded to him.

Miller’s former career, military duty, service-related injuries and innate generosity, have coalesced into a life of giving to others as he continues to work on his own health and well-being.

After cycling became a part of his recovery, Miller was asked to participate on the WWP Race Across America team. They raced from Oceanside, Calif., to Annapolis, Md., in seven days, two hours. Miller was hooked.

After returning to Sisters, he became the coach of Outlaw Cycling, a mountain biking team for local youth.

A Beacon to Home

During Miller’s years of physical recovery and treatment for PTSD, each time he arrived in a new hospital, he was the recipient of a handmade quilt. His traumatic brain injury created short-term memory loss, making it difficult for Miller to find his room when returning from daily therapy. The quilt on his bed served as a beacon to home for him.

“The quilts I received while in the hospitals were more than a marker for me to remember which room my bed was in. They provided warmth in the cold hospitals and some would come with a note of encouragement from those who made them. It was always nice to write them back and let them know how much of an impact it was for us. I still have all of them by the way.”

When the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show issued a Stars Over Sisters Quilt Challenge this past year to local guilds, in which they would create quilts honoring military personnel, Miller personally shared with each guild the significance of quilts provided to wounded military personnel. His story inspired their creations and during the quilt show Miller served as one of the judges for the challenge.

“I really enjoyed speaking with and meeting the local quilt guilds and being a part of the quilt show,” Miller said. “It really was a great way to span generations and hear from those who had veterans in their lives and the challenges they faced as well. I really appreciated the support and hospitality they showed me at the events.”

Miller was honored in February 2014 by the Sisters Chamber of Commerce with their Pioneering Spirit Award, which recognizes an individual or business that expands the way Sisters is viewed across the state and beyond.

Nature’s Healing Power

As a WWP volunteer, Miller has several speaking engagements a month to veterans groups, a wide variety of organizations, donors and supporters, and Veterans Affairs clinics and hospital employees. One of those speeches led to Miller meeting a Vietnam-era vet for whom he wanted to do something special. Miller called his father and asked if they could take the man duck hunting.

Several weeks later, while on that trip, the veteran broke down and cried, sharing with Miller and his dad that in 40 years, this was the first time anyone had done anything for him in recognition of his service. From that point forward, the man’s demeanor changed and his wife called to thank Miller for acknowledging her husband’s service.

“When we finished the trip and finally got to sit down, it was as if a weight had been lifted off his soul after so many years,” Miller said. “His wife mentioned to me that she had never seen him with such a big smile and a tear in his eye. In the long run, it was a massive closure for him but gave him a new aspect of how different generations of veterans still go through the same things and still do help each other like a true band of brothers.”

Mitch Miller has had numerous opportunities to witness Brett’s conversations with his fellow soldiers while getting them out in nature.

“There’s lots of hurt there but lots of healing takes place.”

One particular incident came to mind as he recounted the story of a veteran who had locked himself away in his house and was drinking himself to death. By getting him out of his darkness, out of his house, into a healing natural environment with other vets who understood his pain, a door to recovery was opened and that man is now a healthy, contributing member of his community.

From Trauma to Triumph

Miller has taken his passion for helping others, especially his fellow veterans, combined it with his passion for hunting and fishing, and his dedication to his own ongoing recovery and healing, and birthed Warfighter Outfitters Inc.

“Hunting, fishing and the outdoors have always been my passion, and I figured if I am going out, I might as well bring some veterans.”

Miller financed these outings himself and when the number of warriors and the finances required became too large for him to handle alone, he reached out to others.

“I gathered a few veteran friends in my community (Sisters) and told them of my vision. They loved the idea and we formed a board with a 501(c)3 corporation, and Warfighter Outfitters has been growing like crazy since then.”

The board views their position as one of active participants in the programs and not simply advisors. They are hoping to offer 100 outings the first year. McKibben Womack, a retired Marine from Sisters who served two tours of duty in Iraq, believes with Miller at the helm that goal will be reached.

“Brett is very passionate about getting veterans out and able to do stuff,” said Womack. “That’s what attracted us all (the board) to Brett — his passion. He is 100 percent open. You know going in where Brett stands.”

In order to provide the trips free of charge to wounded/disabled veterans, Warfighter Outfitters is soliciting donations, and Miller is completing the paperwork required to become a participating partner of WWP and eligible for funding. Offers of help are coming in from vets, hunters, fishermen and landowners throughout Central Oregon.

“Basically we need $30,000 to get everything off the ground, which includes the boat, rods, reels, waders, boots, and all the other items in order to provide a seamless day on the water for our vets,” Miller explained.

“We are officially the only nonprofit state-registered guide and outfitter for veterans in the Pacific Northwest. This means that disabled vets can put in for high profile tags such as goats and sheep, and we can guide them for free.”

Female veterans are included in their programs, as Miller indicated they are planning several all-female groups of wounded vets to go on duck and goose hunts, as well as fishing trips, in Central Oregon this winter.

The organization is always looking for volunteers as well as donations of gently used fishing/hunting equipment. One critical need is for ATVs that can be adapted for use by severely disabled vets.

Womack believes that fellow veterans can best understand and connect with their comrades, as they speak a familiar language and share similar experiences.

When individually approached by Miller to be a part of his dream, each board member responded, “Let’s do this.”