So it is fitting that the Soldiers accepted into the SAMC were honored during the 95th Infantry Division Association’s 60th Anniversary Dinner in Oklahoma City, Aug. 1, 2009, in front of men who actually served alongside Miller during World War II.
“We’re mixing the old with the new and paying respect to those who served before us,” said Warrant Officer Candidate Joe Matthews, a SAMC member who serves as the Club’s principal spokesperson. “We also get to showcase the quality of Soldiers we have today so our veterans know that the future of the Army is in good hands.”
During 2009, a total of 22 Division Soldiers vied for acceptance into the SAMC through a series of warrior challenge competitions throughout the year. Of these, only seven met the Club’s high standards of physical fitness, tactical proficiency and military bearing.
Spc. Joshua A. Flowers
A tired but determined Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Goombi assembles an M-16 after the 12 mile road march.
Each received a commemorative plaque and a medallion emblazoned with Miller’s likeness. Inductees were awarded the Army Commendation Medal for their accomplishment. Other finalists received Army Achievement Medals and all remaining competitors were presented with Certificates of Appreciation.
The 2009 SAMC honorees were: Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Goombi, 2/379th, 1st Brigade, Little Rock, Ark.; Staff Sgt. James Snipes, 3rd Brigade Headquarters, Lexington, Ky.; Staff Sgt. Joseph Bessette, 3/334th, 4th Brigade, Milwaukee, Wis.; Staff Sgt. Daryl Lee, 3/330th, 4th Brigade, Waterford, Mich.; Staff Sgt. Joshua Marshall, 2/397th, 3rd Brigade, Lexington, Ky.; Sgt. Jennifer Hyde, HHC, 95th Training Division, Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Spec. David Schulz, 3/334th, 4th Brigade, Milwaukee, Wis.
Hyde’s induction was particularly significant, as she is the first female Soldier to gain entry into the Club.
“Honestly, I didn’t even think I had a chance of getting in [the SAMC] because all the other guys did so well. When I heard my name called, I was completely stunned,” Hyde said. “It’s just such an honor to not only be in the Club but to be the first female is just awesome!”
Soldiers earn acceptance into the SAMC after a grueling three day “Ironman Challenge” that tests their physical and mental ability to perform under stress and fatigue.
“What we’re looking for are Soldiers who can complete the [competition’s] assigned tasks to standard while upholding the Army’s seven core values in the process,” Matthews said.
Events include an Army physical fitness test, day and night land navigation courses, weapons qualifications, a 12-mile forced march with loaded rucksack which is followed immediately by timed assembly of an M-9 pistol, M-16 rifle and an M-249 machine gun. Soldiers also face an intense oral examination board that tests their knowledge of the 95th Infantry Division’s history. Several 95th Infantry Division World War II veterans sat on this year’s board along with other SAMC members and the Division Command Sergeant Major.
The SAMC was created in 1995 to honor the legacy of the fallen Soldier whose heroic exploits during World War II earned him the Medal of Honor. Miller was awarded the Medal posthumously for his courage and sacrifice during the Division’s march through Germany. He remains the only 95th Division Soldier to hold the nation’s highest military honor.
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Spc. Joshua A. Flowers
SAMC candidates vie for the advantage during the combatives portion of the competition.
“Sergeant Andrew Miller may be gone, but his spirit lives on in the 95th Division Soldiers of today,” Matthews said. “It lives in their willingness to accept any challenge and to never quit, no matter the odds.”
In order to compete for entry into the SAMC in 2010, Soldiers must submit packets to participate in the Division’s annual Best Warrior Challenge (BWC) and be approved by their chain of command. New members will be selected by a board of SAMC members after completion of the BWC. Only Noncommissioned Officers in grades E-4 through E-7 are eligible to compete for acceptance into the Club. All other Soldiers must be approved by the president of the organization.
Staff Sgt. Andrew Miller made ultimate sacrifice
Staff Sgt. Andrew Miller holds a special place in the history of the 95th Division.
Serving during the Division’s most significant period in World War II, Miller distinguished himself through a series of courageous acts during the 95th’s two-week march from Woippy, France to Kerprich, Hemmersdorf, Germany in 1944. From single-handedly disarming enemy machine gunnery, to fearlessly leading his men out of harm’s way, Miller consistently demonstrated a tenacious resolve to accomplish the mission whatever the cost.
Ultimately, the cost was his life.
On November 29, with his platoon pinned under heavy German fire, Miller took a squad of Soldiers and advanced directly into the maelstrom. Inspired by what would be his last act of bravery, the rest of the men pushed forward with Miller’s squad and smothered the enemy unit. Miller was mortally wounded during the advance and died there on the field in Germany.
Staff Sergeant Miller’s official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For performing a series of heroic deeds from 16 to 29 November 1944, during his company’s relentless drive from Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany. As he led a rifle squad on 16 November at Woippy, a crossfire from enemy machineguns pinned down his unit. Ordering his men to remain under cover, he went forward alone, entered a building housing 1 of the guns and forced 5 Germans to surrender at bayonet point. He then took the second gun single-handedly by hurling grenades into the enemy position, killing 2, wounding 3 more, and taking 2 additional prisoners. At the outskirts of Metz the next day, when his platoon, confused by heavy explosions and the withdrawal of friendly tanks, retired, he fearlessly remained behind armed with an automatic rifle and exchanged bursts with a German machinegun until he silenced the enemy weapon. His quick action in covering his comrades gave the platoon time to regroup and carry on the fight. On 19 November S/Sgt. Miller led an attack on large enemy barracks. Covered by his squad, he crawled to a barracks window, climbed in and captured 6 riflemen occupying the room. His men, and then the entire company, followed through the window, scoured the building, and took 75 prisoners. S/Sgt. Miller volunteered, with 3 comrades, to capture Gestapo officers who were preventing the surrender of German troops in another building. He ran a gauntlet of machinegun fire and was lifted through a window. Inside, he found himself covered by a machine pistol, but he persuaded the 4 Gestapo agents confronting him to surrender. Early the next morning, when strong hostile forces punished his company with heavy fire, S/Sgt. Miller assumed the task of destroying a well-placed machinegun. He was knocked down by a rifle grenade as he climbed an open stairway in a house, but pressed on with a bazooka to find an advantageous spot from which to launch his rocket. He discovered that he could fire only from the roof, a position where he would draw tremendous enemy fire. Facing the risk, he moved into the open, coolly took aim and scored a direct hit on the hostile emplacement, wreaking such havoc that the enemy troops became completely demoralized and began surrendering by the score. The following day, in Metz, he captured 12 more prisoners and silenced an enemy machinegun after volunteering for a hazardous mission in advance of his company’s position. On 29 November, as Company G climbed a hill overlooking Kerprich Hemmersdorf, enemy fire pinned the unit to the ground. S/Sgt. Miller, on his own initiative, pressed ahead with his squad past the company’s leading element to meet the surprise resistance. His men stood up and advanced deliberately, firing as they went. Inspired by S/Sgt. Miller’s leadership, the platoon followed, and then another platoon arose and grimly closed with the Germans. The enemy action was smothered, but at the cost of S/Sgt. Miller’s life. His tenacious devotion to the attack, his gallant choice to expose himself to enemy action rather than endanger his men, his limitless bravery, assured the success of Company G.