Lewis Lee Millett Sr.

Colonel Lewis L. Millett Sr., Medal of Honor

Lewis Lee Millett Sr. had one of the most unusual military careers of any American Medal of Honor recipient. Before leading one of the Korean War’s most famous bayonet charges, he had already served in both the Canadian and United States armies, fought in North Africa and Italy, earned the Silver Star for bravery, and faced a U.S. Army court-martial for desertion because he had left the United States to fight before America entered the Second World War.

Early Life and the Second World War

Lewis Lee Millett was born on December 15, 1920, in Mechanic Falls, Maine. He grew up in Massachusetts and joined the Massachusetts National Guard in 1938. He later entered the U.S. Army Air Corps.

When war was already raging in Europe but the United States remained neutral, Millett was determined to fight. Frustrated by the prospect of remaining outside the conflict, he left the U.S. military and went to Canada, where he enlisted in the Canadian Army. He was sent overseas and served in Britain.

After the United States entered the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Millett transferred back into the U.S. Army in 1942 and subsequently fought in North Africa and Italy.

During the fighting in Tunisia, Millett distinguished himself when an ammunition-laden half-track caught fire. With the burning vehicle threatening nearby American soldiers, he drove it away from them and escaped before its ammunition exploded. His actions earned him the Silver Star.

The Army had not forgotten how he had originally reached the war. Millett was subsequently court-martialed for deserting the U.S. military when he left to join the Canadian Army. He was convicted, fined, and continued serving. His combat record nevertheless continued to distinguish him, and he later received a battlefield commission.

Millett went on to serve in Italy and completed the Second World War as an experienced combat veteran.

Korean War

During the Korean War, Captain Millett commanded Company E, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division.

On February 7, 1951, near Soam-ni, South Korea, his company came under intense enemy fire while attacking strongly defended positions on high ground. Seeing that the assault had stalled, Millett moved to the front of his men.

He fixed his bayonet.

Calling on his soldiers to follow him, Millett led them directly up the hill into the enemy position. The attack developed into fierce close-quarters fighting involving bayonets, rifle butts and grenades. Millett personally fought at the head of the assault and was wounded by grenade fragments but refused evacuation.

His company captured the position.

The action became one of the best-known American bayonet assaults of the Korean War and earned Millett the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor Citation

Captain Millett, Company E, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy.

While personally leading his company in an attack against a strongly held position, he observed that the first platoon had become pinned down by small-arms, automatic-weapons and antitank fire. Captain Millett ordered the third platoon forward, placed himself at the head of the two platoons and, with fixed bayonet, led an assault up the fire-swept hill.

In the fierce charge that followed, Captain Millett bayoneted enemy soldiers and continued leading his men despite receiving grenade wounds. Refusing evacuation until the objective had been secured, his courage and leadership inspired his company to overwhelm the enemy position.

His extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty reflected the highest traditions of the military service.

Later Military Career

Millett remained in the United States Army after Korea and developed particular expertise in unconventional warfare and combat leadership. His career eventually included service during the Vietnam War era.

Over the course of his career he received numerous American and foreign decorations. In addition to the Medal of Honor, his awards included the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Star Medals, including an award for valor, and multiple campaign and service decorations.

His Canadian service during the Second World War was also reflected in his entitlement to Canadian campaign awards, an unusual distinction for a later United States Army Medal of Honor recipient.

Millett ultimately attained the rank of colonel before retiring from the United States Army in 1973 after a military career spanning more than three decades.

Later Life

Military service remained an important part of Millett’s life after retirement. He frequently participated in veterans’ events and commemorations and remained closely associated with the history of the soldiers with whom he had served.

His family also continued the tradition of military service. His son, Army Staff Sergeant John Millett, was killed in 1985 when the aircraft carrying members of the 101st Airborne Division crashed at Gander, Newfoundland, while returning from a peacekeeping deployment in the Sinai.

Colonel Lewis L. Millett Sr. died on November 14, 2009, at the age of 88.

He was buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.

From leaving the United States to join the Canadian Army before America entered the Second World War, to earning the Silver Star in North Africa and leading a bayonet charge up a Korean hillside, Lewis Millett’s career encompassed more than thirty years of American military history. His Medal of Honor recognized one extraordinary day in that career, but it was only one chapter in a lifetime of military service.