PARIS — A man described by local veterans as an “amazing American hero” will be the guest speaker at a Veterans Day ceremony Monday at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School.

Raymond C. Miller of Paris is a World War II veteran and co-author of “From the Volcano to the Gorge — Getting the Job Done on Iwo Jima.” He will keynote the ceremony at 10 a.m. Nov. 11 at the school auditorium in Paris.

A member of the 5th Marine Division, he was on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima in February 1945 when a group of Marines hoisted an American flag on Mount Suribachi. The scene became the ultimate symbol of American military valor in World War II.

Of the 70,000 men who fought in the battle, fewer than 1,000 still live, said Miller, who will 90 years old this year.

“I was there. I saw the flag being raised in Iwo Jima. I was only 400 yards away when the flag went up,” he said. He was 20 years old at the time.

He returned from the war to his native Midwest and eventually settled in Maine. Along the way, becoming a psychologist, an inventor, an author and a musician.

“He was in the first wave that landed,” said Ron Snow, commander of the Stone-Smart American Legion Post 82 of Norway and organizer of this year’s program.

Miller said his story that he recounts in the book is a little different from the many others that have been written about the battle. His is more personal.

“As a child, my mother had a grand imagination and she was also musical. She taught me to spot the very interesting things that take place. I reported on things in battle that were funny and there was nothing funny in battle. We lost a lot of men,” he said.

His co-author, Howard McLaughlin Jr., who died several months ago, lived in California. The two never met but their stories were paired by the publisher to create the book.

“The co-author was an engineer,’ Miller said. “Engineers are not known for real good writing. He wrote very well.”

Miller, who has lived in Paris for four or five years, said he is looking forward to telling his story to veterans and particularly non-veterans, some of whom may not quite understand the real sacrifices and hardships of World War II and other wars.

“Sometimes, they forget” veterans’ sacrifices, he said.

“For 35 days I was there,” Miller said. “Being in the service is very, very different. We left our base in Hawaii on the 21st of January. I had an outfit on of undies, socks, boots, pants, a shirt. I wore the same outfit until the second of April. There was no bathing in between. No shaving…” he said. He was attempting to stay hidden from the Japanese.

“The more dirty I was, the more chance I had to stay alive,” he said.

Monday’s presentation will include color guards from the American Legion, VFW and Boy Scout troops, along with music by the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Band.

There will be free donuts and coffee following the program and participants may purchase Miller’s book. The public is encouraged to attend.

ldixon@sunjournal.com

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