Marvin
Miller
Miller
SGT · Cat · 11F · Recon · 11F40
In-Country Service
4 Dec 1970 – 2 Dec 1971
Home of Record
Kittanning, Armstrong Co., PA
Character of Service
Honorable
Archive Status
Active
Reconstructed from letters Marvin wrote to his mother during his tour, supplemented by unit records and accounts from fellow soldiers. Compiled by his son, 2024–2025.
15 Dec 1970
Arrival
Arrives at FSB Mace
Marvin reached Vietnam in early December 1970, flying into Cam Ranh Bay, then on to Bien Hoa, and forward from there to FSB Mace — his first assignment with Delta Company. In his first letter home, written at Mace on December 15, he said he had "a good trip over" but was "a little tired of going from place to place," and noted that with the rainy season ended the weather had turned "hot an sticky." Cam Ranh Bay was one of the Army's two main in-processing points for new arrivals (the 22nd Replacement Battalion; the other was the 90th at Long Binh, by Bien Hoa), which is why he jumped some 200 miles down-country before reaching his unit — in-processing and unit assignment were separate steps. The "going from place to place" he describes was that replacement pipeline; men bound for the 1st Cav also drew about a week of in-country training before being sent forward.
24 Jan 1971
Morale
USO Show at FSB Silver
The company attended a USO show at FSB Silver — a rare and welcome break from operations.
Late Jan 1971
FSB Movement
Silver Stands Down — Cat Platoon Last to Leave
FSB Silver was dismantled and the company moved to FSB Fontaine. Cat Platoon was the last unit to depart Silver. Marvin was asked by the Colonel to draw a scaled model of the new base at Fontaine — a task that drew on skills nobody had formally recognized until then.
1 Mar 1971
Promotion
Promoted to Specialist Four (SP4)
Marvin was promoted to Specialist Four (SP4 / E-4) on March 1, 1971,
having gone before a promotion board on January 10. He served in the
recon MOS with Cat Platoon and would be a squad leader by that fall.
20 Apr 1971
Combat Action
Documented
Contact North of FSB Fanning — Three KIA
Delta Company made contact with an NVA base camp north of Route 1, east of Gia Rai Mountain. Cat Platoon's patrol spotted enemy soldiers bathing in a creek. Range Platoon, crossing to the north bank, walked into a fortified bunker complex. CPL James Cardwell, CPL Danny Drinkard, and CPL Joseph Hall were killed. SSgt Stan Dillon was severely wounded. Marvin was present with Cat Platoon on the south bank.
⚠ Source Notice — Multiple Accounts Exist
The summary above draws from written depositions of Capt. Bill Neal (Company Commander) and SSgt Stan Dillon (Range Platoon Sgt.), supplemented by accounts from other unit members. These represent individual perspectives recorded years after the event. Details of sequence, positioning, and circumstance vary between accounts. No single account should be read as a definitive record. Additional recollections are welcomed and will be preserved alongside existing accounts without editorial reconciliation.
24 Apr 1971
Incident
Photographed by Marvin · Only Known Record
Huey Crash at FSB Fontaine — Three Killed
A Huey departing FSB Fontaine crashed shortly after takeoff, killing the pilot, co-pilot, and Battalion Armor SP4 Richard Colburn. Company Armor Jim Garvin had been bumped from the flight minutes before departure and watched it go down from the firebase. Veterans who reviewed the photographs believe Marvin was among the first soldiers on scene — the wreckage is undisturbed, consistent with the moments just after casualties were removed. He remained through the full recovery operation. FSB Fanning was later named in honor of the pilot who died.
May 1971
Incident
Photographed by Marvin · Only Known Record
Chieu Hoi Rallier on Highway 331
A former Viet Cong fighter rallied under the Chieu Hoi ("Open Arms") amnesty
program, walking out of the jungle alone along Highway 331 near FSB Fontaine.
Marvin and his Cat Platoon squadmates went out to meet and escort him in.
Marvin photographed the rallier and the escort — the only known photographic
record — and brought home items taken from the prisoner: a piece of
black-pajama cloth and a wooden VC propaganda printing block, both still held
by the family. His presence is confirmed by the photographs and these artifacts.
30 May 1971
FSB Movement
Chapel Service at FSB King
Marvin wrote that the company attended a chapel service that day. The unit
was at FSB King — a temporary base it occupied while a new firebase was
being built — and was preparing to tear it down and move back to FSB Fanning.
19 Jun 1971
R&R
Returns from R&R in Hong Kong
Marvin returned from R&R in Hong Kong. The company was at FSB Fanning and due to rotate to Vung Tau on June 21.
14 Jul 1971
Context
Battalion Command Changes Hands
LTC Thomas E. Blagg ("Stone Mountain 6") assumed command of the 2/8
Cavalry, relieving LTC W.G. (Gary) Bacon. Brigade commander Brig. Gen.
Burton presided and passed the battalion colors. A marker of unit-level
turnover during Marvin's tour rather than an event he was personally part
of; the new battalion commander would later figure in the October actions
around the Makowski contact.
16–22 Jul 1971
FSB Movement
A Few Days at FB Oldham
Around 16–22 July 1971, D Company, 2/8 Cav occupied FB Oldham (also written "Old Ham") —
grid ZT077004, out toward Ham Tan and well east of the Fontaine/Fanning area D Company
usually worked. D Company is specifically recorded there on 21 July. The stay was only
about a week, which is likely why this base is harder for veterans to place than the
longer-held ones (Mace, Silver, Fontaine, Fanning, King, Jeffries). Source: firebase
location gazetteer (sources/fsb-locations).
14 Aug 1971
Loss
Word of Overdose Deaths
In a letter home, Marvin mentioned that a couple of his friends had died of
drug overdoses — a reminder that not all of the war's losses came from
enemy contact.
3 Sep 1971
FSB Movement
Company Moves to FSB Jeffries
The unit established at FSB Jeffries, not far from a Vietnamese village. This firebase does not appear in official unit records but is documented in Marvin's letters.
3 Oct 1971
Context
Unrest in Bien Hoa and Saigon
Marvin reported unrest in Bien Hoa and Saigon, which he thought might be
tied to the upcoming South Vietnamese elections.
24 Nov 1971
Final Weeks
"Short-Timer's Attitude"
With departure set for December 4, Marvin wrote home asking family to stop writing. He noted it had gotten very cold — below 60 degrees — and that no one could sleep with only one blanket. He described having a "short-timer's attitude" as his tour wound down.
2 Dec 1971
Discharge
Returns Home — Honorable Discharge
Marvin Dale Miller was discharged at US Army Personnel Center, Oakland, California. He returned home to Kittanning, Pennsylvania.
1971-03-02
Probably present
FSB Fontaine, Long Khanh Province, RVN
Did You Know Marvin, or Serve Alongside Marvin?
We are actively collecting photographs, letters, and memories for this profile. Submissions are reviewed before publication. If you served with Marvin — or are a family member with materials — we'd be grateful to hear from you.
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