Millard, Three Lakes grad,
pictured on cover of Time

By Kurt Krueger
News-Review Editor

SUGAR CAMP — The injured Sparta soldier pictured on the cover of Time magazine last week grew up in Oneida County, and graduated from Three Lakes High School in 1995.

Though the magazine article documented the struggles of a different military unit, it was the photo of Sgt. 1st Class Chet Millard from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 951st Engineer Company (Sapper) that made the cover.

Millard was on a route clearing mission Sept. 8 when a roadside bomb exploded and slammed his vehicle into the side of a mountain. He sustained brain trauma as well as bruised bones and knee injuries.

Photographer Adam Ferguson, on assignment for Time covering Apache Company, was nearby when the bomb exploded in the Tangi Valley, not far from Kabul in Afghanistan.

Millard is the son of Ron and Phyllis Millard of Sugar Camp, who supported his decision to join the Wisconsin National Guard when he was 17.

“We are extremely proud of Chet,” said Ron Millard, who served 29 years in active duty and the reserves for the U.S. Navy. “I can’t say enough about how professional and how dedicated these soldiers are. They are putting themselves in harm’s way for us, and everyone should be supporting them regardless of where they stand on the issues.”

Chet Millard left last November for advanced training in Mississippi before being deployed to Afghanistan in February. He is due home in November or December, though the time frame for their return is a question mark.

“He’s working with his unit, but with all the bruising on his right side, he is on light duty,” said Ron Millard. “I guess you could say he’s one of the walking wounded. They expect a full recovery.”

Wisconsin casualties in Afghanistan, which include Sgt. Ryan Adams of Rhinelander, who was laid to rest last Saturday, have prompted the Wisconsin American Legion to urge more support for America’s fighting men and women.

Seven other Wisconsin Guard soldiers were injured in the Oct. 2 attack when a rocket-propelled grenade impacted vehicles in their patrol. They include Lyle “Scott” Spurgeon of Phelps.

Approximately 100 soldiers from the Rhinelander- and Tomahawk-based unit deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. They have conducted route clearance operations in advance of the Army’s storied 101st Airborne Division.

Just last week, American Legion National Cmdr. Clarence Hill called for the president to beef up forces in Afghanistan by fulfilling Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s request for additional troops.

“According to The Washington Post, McChrystal, the U.S. and NATO commander, is warning us that without more forces within the next year, the mission in Afghanistan ‘will likely result in failure.’ Considering that Afghanistan was the breeding ground for the Sept. 11 attacks, we cannot allow that to happen,” said Hill.

“We have seen a successful troop surge and counterinsurgency strategy work in Iraq. We owe it to our men and women who are serving in Afghanistan to do the same there. We must give them the tools they need to succeed.”

Hill said he is troubled that civilian officials in Washington appear reluctant to grant McChrystal’s request, which many believe could be as high as 40,000 additional troops.

“More than 800 brave American heroes have died in Afghanistan so far,” Hill said. “They died replacing and then protecting us from an evil regime that harbored terrorists. We must not try to ‘fight a war on the cheap’ and let our losses be for naught. General David Petraeus and Admiral Mike Mullen both support General McChrystal’s report.”

Hill’s position also is shared by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who said in Fortune Magazine, “It’s that simple. If you want another terrorist attack in the U.S., abandon Afghanistan.”

While the state is mourning the loss of Adams, the Wisconsin American Legion Troop and Family Support Fund is assisting the wounded and their families.

To learn more or make a tax-deductible contribution to these efforts, visit wilegion.org/programs/troop_support/.