Reflection

The Silent Hero project has had an immense effect on my understanding of three things: WWII itself, sacrifice, and freedom. The victories made in WWII are attributed not to massive, famous battles but to every single individual and every task they completed. It is a mass of small actions that create vast changes. However, these 'small' actions and jobs are massive in themselves. Every soldier--whether on the battlefield or cleaning boiler rooms in the USS Miantonomah--made a sacrifice by simply doing what they enlisted to do. Even those who did not enlist made vital sacrifices to contribute to the war effort. All of these 'small' jobs, huge changes, and sacrifices allowed for the democracy to remain victorious in a war where civilian human rights were being severely violated. Despite how many lives had already been lost, it remained crucial to protect the freedom of the future. If I had the opportunity to speak to Martin Elmer Miller Jr., I would assure him that his life and efforts did not go to waste. His work on the ship kept his crew safe and prevented the Miantonomah from sinking far sooner than it did. I would ask him if he was passionate about his job on the ship and what he would have done if he had survived the war. The most important source for me, was Newspapers.com because I was able to find incredibly important information on his childhood and family within their archives. This project has redefined "gratitude" for me by exposing me to the responsibilities some soldiers had that went unnoticed. These responsibilities were just as important as any other and it's fascinating to imagine which how many more soldiers like Miller there were. I am grateful to this project for exposing other people to these "small" responsibilities as well.