Robert Paul Miller was born on June 18, 1922 in Rome, NY. to Paul R. Miller (abt 1899-?) and Cora Butler (abt 1902-1970). His parents were married on May 13, 1919 in Rome, NY. His dad reported being from Germany and his mom was from New York. His dad ran the movie projector for a local movie theater. He had an older sister Dorothy Mary. Dorothy married on May 11, 1945 to Curtis G. Gibson. The 1920 U.S. Census recorded the family living near his mom's parents on Liberty St. in Rome, NY. The 1929 Rome City Directory recorded Paul and Cora living at 415 Mary St. in Rome. By 1930 U.S. Census recorded the family living in Camden, NY.

Robert enlisted in the U.S. Army on November 28, 1940 in Utica, NY. He recorded having only gone to Grammar school and as working on a farm. He was 5'-7" tall and weighed 142 pounds. His service number was 12017231. He did his training at Fort Hamilton, NY, Fort Devens, Mass., Camp Blanding, Fla., Fort Benning, Ga., and Indian Gap, Pa. He shows up on a Monthly Personnel Roster for Company B, 18th Infantry at Ft. Hamilton in January 31, 1941 (on pg. 5 of 6). He was sent overseas to England in June 1942 and then to Africa.

The 18th Infantry Regiment landed in Oran, Algeria on November 8, 1942 as part of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa. By late December 1942, U.S. and British forces, including the 18th Infantry Regiment were engaged in heavy fighting along the ridges and hills dominating the Medjez el Bab-Tebourba corridor north of the Tunisian interior. On December 24, the day Pfc. Miller went missing, a German counterattack halted the Allied advance on Longstop Hill. Newspapers of the day reported that Pfc. Miller went missing in action on December 24, 1942 and that he was later listed as killed. Official military records found in IDPF's lists the date he went missing as December 24, 1942.

Snip of pg. 51 from a 18th Infantry Regiment General Order listing those who received the "Combat Infantryman Badge" - dated August 1, 1944. 

Almost two years later, on August 1, 1944, a General Order from the Headquarters of the 18th Infantry listed Pfc. Robert P. Smith as having been awarded the "Combat Infantryman Badge" effective January 1, 1944 for "exemplary conduct in action against the Enemy." It's odd that he received this recognition almost two years after he went missing.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

American Battle Monuments Commission, 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22201 website entry for Robert Miller, New York.

Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56249075/robert_p-miller: accessed December 27, 2025), memorial page for Pvt Robert P Miller (unknown–1 Nov 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56249075, citing North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial, Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia; Maintained by Albert Ledoux (contributor 46511171).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/31290478/cora_e-miller: accessed December 27, 2025), memorial page for Cora E. Butler Miller (30 Jan 1902–11 Mar 1970), Find a Grave Memorial ID 31290478, citing Constantia Center Cemetery, Constantia Center, Oswego County, New York, USA; Maintained by TLyons (contributor 48816921).

Individual Deceased Personnel File for Conway, Joseph E, 12023106, National Archives at St. Louis, Record Group 92: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General; Series: Individual Deceased Personnel Files;NAID: 330725954.

National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 00781; Reel: 71

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, MO, 63138, USA; Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration; Series: Muster Rolls and Rosters; NAID: 375714419; Army and Army Air Force (Air Corp) Rosters, 1940-1943: Number 1508 (3 of 3), pg. 428.

New York State Department of Health; Albany, NY, USA; New York State Marriage Index

"Robert P Miller Listed as Dead",  Rome, NY World War II Scrapbook, Oriskany Museum, Utica, St., Oriskany, NY.  

Vermont State Archives and Records Administration; Montpelier, Vermont; Vermont Birth Records, 1909-2008; User Box Number: PR-01921; Roll Number: S-30742; Archive Number: M-2022665

Year: 1920; Census Place: Rome, Oneida, New York; Roll: T625_1243; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 101

Year: 1930; Census Place: Camden, Oneida, New York; Page: 16A; Enumeration District: 0011; FHL microfilm: 2341354

Supporting Documents