PEARLAND, TX, USA U.S. Marines LCPL, B CO, 1ST BN, 8TH MAR, RCT-7, 1ST MAR DIV, CAMP PENDLETON, CA FALLUJAH, IRAQ 11/15/2004
Lance Corporal William Lewis (Billy) Miller, 22, of Pearland, Texas, died November 15, 2004 during combat duty in Fallujah while participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Billy was born November 24, 1981, and is survived by his proud parents, Susie and Lewis Miller; sister, Sabrina Blankenship and husband Joe, and their two children Shelby and Joey, all of Pearland.
Also surviving Billy are many more relatives living in California, Arkansas, and Colorado, all of whom loved him very much, and numerous friends from Pearland and abroad.
Billy was preceded in death by his Uncle Bill Bailey, also a United States Marine, his Uncle John David Miller, a U S Army Viet Nam Veteran, his grandfather Thomas J. Bailey, an Army Veteran of World War II, and paternal grandparents, Marge and Nolen Miller.
Billy graduated from Pearland High School in May 2001, and joined the Marines in June 2001. He served in Spain for 21 months as a Marine Security Guard, Anti -Terrorist Unit. In March 2004 Billy was reassigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, and deployed to Iraq in June 2004.
William Miller was an affectionate child. He would crawl into his mother’s lap and hug and kiss her for no apparent reason.
“He cared,” said his mother, Susie Miller. “He always wanted to help people.”
Miller hoped to go to college after leaving the Marines to study psychology or psychiatry. He decided to join the Marines when he was a high school sophomore and was scheduled to leave Iraq in March and complete his military commitment in May, said his sister, Sabrina Blankenship.
“He was proud of what the Marines stood for,” his mother said. “He thought freedom was something you had to fight for.”