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REGULAR MEETING June 10, 2019
<br /> and on, and on. I consider myself blessed to have known him in his later years. I gained much
<br /> wisdom from speaking with him and that is why I wanted to bring this resolution to you all tonight.
<br /> Councilmember Jake Teshka continued, A Resolution of the Common Council of South Bend,
<br /> Indiana,Honoring the life of a great man,Robert L. Miller, Senior.Whereas,Robert Lowell Miller,
<br /> Senior born on December 5, 1920, in Wilkinson, Indiana, the son of James and Emma Miller, is,
<br /> by definition, a member of what we now recognize as The Greatest Generation; and, Whereas,
<br /> Judge Miller is a member of The Greatest Generation, not only by reason of the date of his birth,
<br /> but also by reason of enlisting in the United States Navy during World War Two (II) and serving
<br /> in five (5) major campaign battles in the South Pacific during which time Judge Miller received
<br /> more than a dozen medals, including the Purple Heart; and, Whereas, Judge Miller's military
<br /> service continued when he was recalled to active duty during the Korean War;and,Whereas,Judge
<br /> Miller returned to South Bend and raised his family, which grew to: five (5) children, twelve (12)
<br /> grandchildren, seven(7) great-grandchildren and including Judge Miller being a great-guardian of
<br /> one (1); and, Whereas, Judge Miller's contributions to our community took so many forms that
<br /> any attempt to even mention all of them would undoubtedly fail due to sheer numbers; and,
<br /> Whereas, this Resolution is being presented shortly after Memorial Day, 2019 and the seventy-
<br /> fifth(75th) anniversary of the invasion of Normandy(a/k/a D-Day), so it is fitting to focus on one
<br /> (1) of Judge Miller's primary loves, Military Veterans; and, Whereas, Judge Miller's devotion to
<br /> Military Veterans, like his other contributions to our community, took many forms, but two (2)
<br /> projects in particular, are evidence of Judge Miller's greatness: Miller's Vets and the "Half-staff
<br /> for Veterans"program; and,Whereas, Miller's Vets is a drill team of uniformed veterans from the
<br /> South Bend Center for the Homeless who provide advanced skills in close order drill participation
<br /> and color guard performances, including "The Last Salute", a full Military Funeral with all
<br /> Military Honors for veterans who have no family, church, or Veterans organization to assist with
<br /> funeral plans; and, Whereas, "Half-staff for Veterans"is a program resulting from a Proclamation
<br /> from Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb which enabled Judge Miller's vision to fly the American
<br /> Flag at half-staff for all deceased veterans in St. Joseph County on Patriot Day, Veterans Day and
<br /> Memorial Day of each year; and, Whereas, Judge Miller is now one (1) of the deceased veterans
<br /> for which the Flag flies at half-staff on those days. Now, therefore, be it Proclaimed by the South
<br /> Bend Common Council as Follows: Section One (I) Judge Miller's words that "Our military vets
<br /> deserve the very best" shall continue to guide us in our actions toward all those who have served
<br /> in the military. Section Two(II)Judge Miller is unquestionably one of the greatest of The Greatest
<br /> Generation and will be missed by all. Section Three (III) Godspeed. Section Four (IV) This
<br /> Resolution shall be effective immediately upon passage by the South Bend Common Council and
<br /> approval by the Mayor.
<br /> This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and
<br /> opponents were given an opportunity to be heard.
<br /> Ed Burris, 747 S. Michigan Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I'm the Commanding Officer of the
<br /> Miller's Vets Color Guard. I don't know what else I can add from what Jake has said. Just a few
<br /> weeks ago, we did the half-staff salute on Memorial Day, which was one (1) of Judge Miller's
<br /> greatest achievements. He always pushed for that. Here is the proof of his labor. I've got eight(8)
<br /> members of the Color Guard present and four (4) are absent. From what started out as just doing
<br /> honors for deceased veterans over the past eight(8) or nine(9) years, it has gone to doing over one
<br /> hundred (100) gigs per year. That includes parades, Color Guard presentations and various
<br /> amounts of different things we do. We have a busy summer coming up. It's a good thing to do.
<br /> When Judge Miller asked me to do Miller's Vets, I expected it to be a one(1) to two (2) day deal,
<br /> it ended up being six (6) years. I can honestly say, even though I complained sometimes, I loved
<br /> every minute of it. It's great. He was a great man to be with and a great man to work with. He is
<br /> going to be missed very much by everybody that knew him. The last ceremony we did, we did in
<br /> honor of Judge Miller and that was on Memorial Day. Mr. Burris then introduced, by name, all
<br /> members of the Color Guard present and absent.
<br /> Kent Laudaman, 1845 Chaplain Drive, Niles, MI, stated, You know, one(1) thing I didn't hear in
<br /> the resolution is that Robert Miller Senior was also instrumental in starting the Robert Miller
<br /> Veteran's Center for homeless veterans. I had the opportunity to be the director for six (6) years. I
<br /> am now retired, and it still goes on. It is a twenty-four(24) bed facility. For the first (1St) five (5)
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