There are many parts of Al Miller’s story worth sharing, but in this episode of Hear My Story, we lead with what could have been an inconsequential moment. Like thousands of others who fled Nazi persecution during WWII, Al arrived on the shores of the United States desperate for shelter and hopeful for the future. The words of an immigration officer stopped Al in his tracks, and stayed with him for the rest of his life.
“I take it as my personal mission to propagate my father’s story and to let people know what happened and what could easily happen again.”
– Fred Miller, son of Dr. Al Miller
By any measure, Al Miller led a full life. He lived to see his 100th birthday, raised three children, and had a loving marriage that lasted 70 years. Al also lived an extraordinary life. He was 10 years old, living in Berlin, when Hitler came to power. His family was forced to go on the run to avoid deportation. He would say that miracles were part of the journey that led him and his parents and brother to the United States, at a time when many Jews could not escape to freedom. Al’s remarkable story also included service in the U.S. military. His fluency in the German language earned him an assignment to Camp Ritchie, where he was trained in counterintelligence, and sent back to Germany to interrogate Nazis suspected of war crimes. Later in life, Al would begin telling his story, and those fortunate enough to hear it, would often say they were changed by it. Now you get to hear Al’s story, lovingly told through the voices of his son, Fred, and daughter-in-law Barb. We hope it changes you, too.
Episode Resources
Learn more about the life and legacy of Dr. Al Miller by visiting The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center in person or online at https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/
Take the character strengths survey for free https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/upstander/assess-your-character-strengths/
Read more about the Ritchie Boys https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/ritchie-boys
This episode made possible with generous support from the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Family Center for Storytelling https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/storytelling/
Our gratitude to Margaret & Michael Valentine for their ongoing support of this series.
