Alumni Spotlight: Ret. Maj. General Johnny R. Miller
B.A 1986, History; College of Libreal Arts
Ret. Maj. General Johnny R. Miller earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Southern Illinois University in 1986.
He will be the keynote speaker at the 2019 Memorial Day Ceremonies for the City of Carbondale at 10 a.m. Monday, May 27, in Woodlawn Cemetery in Carbondale, IL. The public is invited to attend.
General Miller joined the Illinois National Guard in 1982, inspired by family members who served in the military.
He was commissioned in 1984 in the Illinois Army National Guard, through the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, Early Commissioning Program, Wentworth Military Academy, Lexington, Missouri. He is both Armor and Field Artillery branch qualified.
General Miller’s assignments include Company Commander, Battalion S1 and S3, Battalion Executive Officer, Battalion Commander, Brigade Plans and Operations Officer, Brigade Executive Officer, Brigade Commander, and Illinois Joint Staff — J3.
He has deployed twice: once in 2003, stateside, in support of Operation Noble Eagle and in 2009 as the senior liaison officer with Polish Task Force White Eagle to Afghanistan.
From 1986 to 1989, General Miller was stationed in Kitzingen Army Airfield in Germany, serving with the 63rd Armor Regiment and the 69th Armor Regiment.
After returning to the United States, he was stationed in Marion, Illinois. From 2003 to 2004, he was stationed in Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
His professional military education includes U.S. Army War College where he earned a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies in 2007.
In 2009, he was deployed to serve in the War in Afghanistan (2001–present).
In January, 2011, Major General Johnny R. Miller assumed duties as Assistant Adjutant General — Army, Illinois National Guard. In that position he assisted the Adjutant General in the command and control of the units of the Illinois Army National Guard.
On September 6, 2014, he was promoted to the rank of Major General — at the time only three other people in the National Guard wore a higher military grade. He retired in 2015
General Miller’s military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal and Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (not worn).
In civilian life he is the Business Excellence Site Facilitator for Dyno-Nobel Incorporated’s Wolf Lake, Illinois facility.
The facility is a manufacturer of commercial explosive initiation systems for the mining and construction industry. General Miller is responsible for coordinating and planning programs, training, and activities to support the transformation of the facility into a World Class Organization.
Alumni Spotlight celebrates our Saluki Alumni and their memories of their time at SIU Carbondale. We focus on a different Alumni each week, and publish the feature on Wednesday afternoons on our Blog, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.
If you’d like to be the focus of this weekly feature, or nominate someone to be featured, please get in touch with the SIU Alumni Association, or email us at alumni.siu.edu.
