MAJORITY OF ROCK VALLEY BOYS ESCAPE
Draft Not Hard On Registrants Here Thus Far
Following is a list of the Rock Valley registrants and their serial numbers, and also a list of the Hudson Sioux County boys who registered:
1002 – Lawrence H. Miller
Source: Rock Valley Bee Nov. 1, 1940, p 1 & 4
Lawrence Miller left for Des Moines Monday to make application for entrance into the United States Military service.
Source: Rock Valley Bee Nov. 1, 1940, p 5
Lawrence Miller, who went to Des Moines last week to try to enter the United States military service was told there was no room for men to enlist at present.
Source: Sioux County Capital Nov. 7, 1940, p 5
Lawrence Miller of Fort Des Moines arrived home last Tuesday evening to spend Christmas Day with his folks, Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Miller and family, and with other relatives. He returned to Fort Des Moines last Thursday evening.
Source: Hawarden Independent Jan. 2, 1941, p 2
Earl Clary and Lawrence Miller of Fort Des Moines spent Saturday evening and Sunday with their parents.
Lee Clary, Kenneth and Fred A. Miller drove to Sioux City Saturday to meet their sons, Earl Clary and Lawrence Miller.
Source: Hawarden Independent May 8, 1941, p 2
Lawrence Miller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Miller of Plato township who enlisted in the U.S. army in November 1940, is now located at Camp McQuaide, California. His address is: P.F.C. Lawrence H. Miller, Hq. and Hq. Btry., 57th Field Artillery, APO 7, San Jose, Calif.
Source: Sioux Center News Feb. 26, 1942, p 8
Sergeant Lawrence Miller of Calif. arrived at Omaha on Sunday morning. He was met by Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Miller and Florence Miller and will spend an 8-day furlough with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Miller, who live near Rock Valley, and with other relatives.
Source: Sioux Center News May 7, 1942, p 8
Florence Miller and Mildred Clary took Lawrence Miller to Sioux City last Friday morning and Lawrence, who had been home on a furlough, left from there for California.
Source: Hawarden Independent May 14, 1942, p 4
Here is the new address of Lawrence Miller:
S. Sgt. Lawrence A. Miller 17003794
Serv. Btry. 924 F. A. Bn.
APO 99 U. S. Army
Camp Van Dorn, Miss.
Source: Sioux Center News Nov. 5, 1942, p 8
Sgt. Lawrence Miller of Camp Van Doorn, Miss., is spending a furlough here with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Miller.
Source: Hawarden Independent Nov. 19, 1942, p 5
Sgt. Lawrence Miller of Camp Van Doorn, Miss. arrived home Saturday morning on a furlough. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Miller.
Source: Sioux Center News May 13, 1943, p 8
Send Them The Bee
The following men in the armed service of our nation are receiving the Rock Valley Bee. There are doubtless many more who would enjoy getting the home news regularly each week whether in camp on this side or overseas. One dollar will send a soldier The Bee for the duration.
DO IT TODAY! WRITE OR CALL!
S. Sgt. Lawrence H. Miller
Source: Rock Valley Bee June 4, 1943, p 1
S/Sgt. Lawrence Miller of Camp Maxey, Texas, is here on a furlough visiting with his wife and parents.
Source: Hawarden Independent July 6, 1944, p 4
Sgt. Major Lawrence Miller is spending a furlough at the Fred A. Miller home. His leave extends until July 7th.
Source: Sioux County Capital July 13, 1944, p 8
Mrs. Lawrence Miller, Mrs. Pete Van Driel and Florence Miller accompanied S/Sgt. Lawrence Miller to Sioux City last Thursday and he left from there to report for duty.
Source: Hawarden Independent July 13, 1944, p 5
A daughter was born to S/Sgt. and Mrs. Lawrence Miller at the Hull hospital Sunday morning. Sergeant Miller is overseas.
Source: Hawarden Independent Nov. 9, 1944, p 5
Master Sgt. Miller left for overseas last October. He was a mechanic serving with the Field Artillery in the 99th Division with Lt. Gen. Courtney Hodges, First Army. Since his duties did not take him to the front, it is possible that the huge German push which began the very day he was reported missing, moved so fast that he may not have been able to escape capture—or escaping became lost from his outfit, and has not to this time been able to get back.
He has been in the service four years, leaving October 16 before the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was stationed at Camp Maxey, Tex., up to the time he went overseas.
On March 6, 1944, he was married to the former Bertha VandeVegte, and he has a baby daughter he has not yet seen. She will be three months old February 5, and is named Lorna Jane. Mrs. Miller sent pictures of herself and the baby at Christmas time but Sgt. Miller was already missing in action then.
The Bee joins his family and many friends here in the prayer that he will be found unharmed.
Sgt. Miller is 33 years old. He attended the Rock Valley schools.
Source: Rock Valley Bee, Friday, January 26, 1945
Mrs. Lawrence Miller received a telegram Thursday evening informing here that her husband, M/Sgt. Lawrence Miller, is now a prisoner of war. He was missing in action in Belgium since December 17. He has been in the Army since October, 1941, and is a mechanic.
Source: Sioux County Capital, March 8, 1945
Our Neighbors in Service.
Rock Valley, Ia.—Word was received by his wife that M. Sgt. Lawrence H. Miller is now a prisoner of war. She had received word January 12 that he was missing in action in Belgium, December 17. He was a mechanic serving with the field artillery in the 99th division of the First army. His duties did not take him to the front, but it is thought the German push of that day was too quick for his group. He has been in service since October, 1941, and left for overseas duty in October. He married Miss Bertha Vande Vegte March 6, 1944. They have a daughter, Lorna Jane, whom he has never seen. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Miller.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, March 9, 1945
Sgt. Lawrence Miller arrived home Sunday. He was released from a German prison camp on April 28th. He called his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Miller, last Thursday soon after arriving in the United States. His wife received word in January that he had been missing in action since December 17, and later she received word that he was a prisoner of war. Sgt. Miller has been in the service since October 1941, and was stationed at Camp Maxey, Texas until he went overseas. He returned home to see his daughter, Lorna Jane, who was six months old on May 5, but whom he had never seen.
Source: Sioux County Capital May 31, 1945, p 7
M. Sgt. Lawrence Miller Is Home For Sixty Days
Master Sergeant Lawrence H. Miller arrived here Monday, May 28, for a joyful reunion with his wife and baby daughter, whom he had never seen, after a long term of overseas duty, during which he had become a prisoner of war of the Germans. A month ago he was liberated by the same outfit which he had been with at the time of his capture. He went from Germany to France by plane and from France he came to the United States by ship, landing in Boston. He is home on a sixty-day furlough before reporting to Hot Springs, Arkansas, for reassignment.
Sgt. Miller was captured last December in Belgium, being caught with his outfit in the “Belgium hump,” at that time when the Germans won back a great deal of Belgian territory, trapping American troops. He had been serving as a mechanic with a Field Artillery unit up to that time. He has been in two different German prison camps since.
When they got back, the first thing they got to eat was beef steak, Sgt. Miller said. He thought it was pretty swell to be back home again, and everyone seems to agree that it’s just as grand to have him back. He is the son of Fred A. Miller.
Source: Rock Valley Bee, June 1, 1945
Lawrence Miller, Men from Morrell, Speak to Rotary
M. Sgt. Lawrence Miller, who was a prisoner of war of the Germans for some months, shared the spotlight at the Rotary luncheon Monday, with two gentlemen and a movie from Morrell’s packing plant in Sioux Falls.
Sgt. Miller said that his first experience with his German captors was that they gave him a bowl of soup to eat after he had been a prisoner for ten days. Then, on Christmas, the Germans didn’t give them any water to drink, and the prisoners got as much water as they could from eaves-drippings and melted snow.
He said that there it was a common sight to see a prisoner exchanging a sixty-dollar watch for a piece of bread an inch thick, or fifty dollars for a package of cigarettes. The Germans, Sgt. Miller went on, seemed to have plenty of food, Spam, and canned foods and also American brands of cigarettes. He said he thought that the Germans raided the Red Cross boxes, though they said that these boxes had been destroyed by the air raids.
It was a very short talk, but very interesting to every one of the members. Gerrit DeBruin, owner of the Home Meat Market, was also a guest at this meeting.
Source: Rock Valley Bee, June 22, 1945
Former local man cited - 1962
Master Sergeant Lawrence H Miller, United States army, is cited for meritorious service as senior ordinance noncommissioned officer and United States government inspector, United States army procurement agency Korea, from July 1, 1961 to June 28, 1962.
Master Sergeant Miller discharged all facets of his assignment in a commendable manner. Utilizing leadership, initiative, and professional ability, he enhanced the operational effectiveness of the unit.
His willingness to accept responsibility, and his technical ability and versatility in meeting the complexities of his assignment assisted the procurement agency in accomplishing its assigned mission. This, and his thorough training and proper use of personnel, made it possible to achieve maximum efficiency.
His consistently demonstrated devotion to duty, reliability, and competence have earned for him the esteem and confidence of all his associates. Master Sergeant Miller’s accomplishments and record of service reflect great credit upon himself and the United States army.
Master Sergeant Miller has a brother Alvin, and two sisters, Florence Miller and Mrs. Pete Van Driel living in Rock Valley.
Source: Rock Valley Bee Nov. 15, 1962, p 2
Iowa, U.S. World War II Bonus Case Files, 1947-1954, Claim Number 176907
Lawrence Harlow Miller, was born March 28, 1910 at Rock Valley, Iowa, which was where he was residing prior to entering the Army on Nov. 6, 1940 at Fort Des Moines, Iowa.
He served with Hq. Btry. 57 F.A. 7, Inf. Div., and Serv. Btry. 924 F.A. 99, Inf. Div., left for overseas service on Sept. 26, 1944, returned on May 23, 1945, and was discharged on Oct. 16, 1945.
He re-enlisted on Oct. 17, 1945, left again for overseas service on June 13, 1947, returned on July 29, 1948 and was discharged on Aug. 4, 1948.
He again re-enlisted on Aug. 5, 1948 and at the time of this application was still on active duty as a member of Enl. Det., 4011th ASO Sta. Com. at Ft. Sill, Okla.
His application for bonus pay was filed on May 28, 1949, for which he received $500.00.
WWII Draft Registration -- 1940
Source: ancestry.com
