Mishawaka Veteran Elected American Legion State Commander

INDIANAPOLIS, July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Michael J. Miller, a Mishawaka Vietnam veteran, was elected State Commander of the 100,000-member American Legion Department of Indiana during the organization's 93rd annual state convention in Indianapolis July 16, 2011.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110718/DC36880)

"I sought this office, not because I wanted to be something," Miller said following a unanimous vote by the assembled delegates, "but because I wanted to do something.

"What I want to do is my part in restoring The American Legion to a determined pursuit of the ideals we were founded on, and to see it prosper and flourish once again. I cannot do that alone, but I can do it with your help."

As State Commander, Miller will serve as the organization's executive officer until July 2012. During that time, he will be responsible for the programs, legislative priorities and public statements of the organization.

Miller is an eight-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a member of Mishawaka's Ryan A. Balmer American Legion Post 161. He has been employed for more than 30 years at the Bendix Corporation, now part of Honeywell Aerospace, testing and repairing aircraft wheels and brakes for commercial and military aircraft including the F-15, F-18, F-22, C-17 and the Joint Strike Fighter military aircraft. 

In addition to his Legion activities, Miller has been Mishawaka's Memorial Day Parade President and Line-up Chairman for 15 years. He is a member of South Bend's Christ the King Lutheran Church, and is active in several other veterans' organizations.

He has held nearly every office at the Post, and his Legion activities include service in most offices of the Legion's 3rd District as well as in several high-level state-level offices leading to his election as Commander.

He and his wife Joy have been married for 42 years and are parents of two sons.

SOURCE American Legion Department of Indiana