Thomas Dawayne Miller

February 17, 1933 – October 5, 1952

Cpl. Thomas Dawayne Miller, 19, first Perry man killed in Korea, died in action Oct. 5. He had been in Korea 11 months with the First Marine division. He enlisted in the Marines in April 1951 and grid trained at San Diego, Calif.

Miller was born in Morris, Okla., Feb. 17, 1933. He lived in Morris, Oklahoma City, and Garber, where his father was employed in oil field work. His mother died in 1945, after which he and his brother, Donnie, moved to Perry to make their home with their grandmother, Mrs. R. E. Brown, 825 Kaw street.

A 1951 graduate of Perry high school, he was active in PHS sports. He was captain of the Maroon basketball team in his senior year.

Miller was a member of the Garber Christian church.

He is survived by his father, C. L. Miller of Ventura, Calif.

Last rites will be at 2 p.m. Monday in the First Christian church of Perry, with a military burial to be in the Garber cemetery. Services here will be in charge of Rev. Cryder Brayshaw, Perry Christian church minister, and Rev. Ivan Hansen of Garber. The Marine corps will have charge of burial at Garber.

AmericanBattleGraves.com
Corporal Miller was a member of Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was Killed in Action while fighting the enemy in Korea on October 5, 1952. Corporal Miller was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.