World War II veterans Jacob "Randy Miller and Dan McBride

Randy and David MorrisonPhotos Courtesy of  David Morrison

On Oct. 9, 1921, a future World War II veteran, now a Mimbres, NM, resident, was born.

On Oct. 8, 2021, he celebrated his 100th birthday. The Rio Mimbres Baptist Church, where Jacob "Randy" Miller is a member, hosted a celebration for Randy with homemade ice cream and cake. Family and friends came from near and far to share the day and make it a special occasion for Randy.

Randy at far right, with World War II veteran Mario Kirker and a whole bunch of veterans friends from WWII and wars in Iraq, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War.

Randy seated at left with brochure in hand surrounded by relatives: Nephew, Bruce (tall guy) and wife from New Jersey; nephew, Harold from Florida; and step daughter, Lynne from Illinois with husband Steve- (mouth open eating). Pastor Jeremy and wife Angela Butler are standing at head of the table.

When Randy was seven years old, he and his younger brother, Rick, went to live with their grandparents on a farm in New Jersey. While the Great Depression raged on, Randy and Rick milked cows, planted corn, baled hay, cut firewood, made cider and walked to school. The farm had no electricity or telephone, and the boys did not even have a bicycle between them. They built a "crystal radio" to listen to Big Band music and hear what was going on in the world outside their quiet country home. They grew up rich in knowledge of the land and how to make do with and appreciate what little they had.

After graduating from high school, Randy got a job working in a plant that crushed and processed asbestos. He bought his first car, a 1932 Plymouth, around the time that war broke out in Germany. When the United States entered the war, Randy joined the Army, trained to operate a tank, became a radioman and later went to the air academy to learn to fly. In 1944, he was reassigned and trained to be a field medic with the 67th field hospital, which deployed to Europe to follow the Allied forces through France, Belgium and Germany. After the war ended in late 1945, Randy spent a few months in Europe before returning home in February 1946.

After the war, Randy worked in a machine shop that he and his grandfather built on the farm. His next job was inspecting crankshafts on Mack trucks. He married his first wife, Lorrain, whom he met while skating. In 1949, they moved to Burlington, Iowa, where Randy worked for more than 25 years as an atomic bomb inspector at a nuclear munitions plant. Lorrain died of a sudden heart attack.

Later, Randy met Keitha, and they married. He built a motor home and they spent two years rock and arrowhead hunting all over the country. Keitha would sell at rock and mineral shows the jewelry she created from stones that Randy cut and polished. In 1976, they bought a piece of property high in the Colorado Rockies, where they cut and sold firewood for nearly 30 years. For health reasons, they sold the home and bought a home in Phoenix where they lived for several years before moving to Mimbres in 2008. Keitha died in2014, and Randy still misses her. He continues to enjoy working and taking care of his home and property. He still has a strong heart, a sharp mind, along with a kind spirit, despite his macular degeneration.

In 2019, he toured the war memorials in Washington, D.C. with 32 of his fellow veterans on an Honor Flight. He continues to participate in his church community and has made many friends over the years because of his kind spirit and willingness to work.

—Taken from words by David Morrison, fellow veteran and friend

Below are two PDFs, telling what was happening in 1921, and the second shows Randy's life in pictures.