Obituary of James Wesley Miller Submitted by Mary Ann Copeland-Sitton Source: Southern Democrat, Newspaper. Date: 13 June 1944. PFC. JAMES W. MILLER KILLED IN ACTION "Mr. & Mrs. C. H. Miller of Clarence, have been informed by the War Department that their son, PFC. JAMES WESLEY MILLER, age 22, USMC, has been killed in action in the South Pacific area. Miller volunteered for service with the Marines in March of 1942 & received training at Camp Pendleton in California. He had been a student at Susan Moore & Cleveland High Schools & was a member of the football club at Cleveland. Besides his parents, young Miller is survived by 3 brothers, C. L. & Arvil of Oneonta & Sam of Clarence; 2 sisters, Pauline & Bettie Jo Miller both of Clarence; also two grandmothers, Mrs. M. E. [Barnett Light] Bodine of Rt. # 1 Horton & Mrs. Norah Miller of Clarence." Notes: James Wesley Miller, 'Wesley', was born 18 July 1921 to parents Columbus H. H. Miller & wife Zorah Nevada Light. "Wesley' as he was called, was named 'James' after both his grandfathers, & 'Wesley' after his maternal grandfather, Mr. James Wesley Light of Morgan County, Alabama, the son of Judge Daniel A. Light. Wesley graduated from Cleveland High School in 1941 where he was a football player of some note as well as a good academic student. He enlisted in the Marines soon after high school graduation, was sent into action following training with the 4th Marines & died during his second recorded engagement, the envasion of the island of Siapan, one of the Marianas Islands which is located in the South Pacific. His name is engraved on the granite memorials erected by the native peoples to honor the U.S. soldiers who died there while attempting to secure their freedom from the Japanese. These plates , are located in the Court of Honor at the American Memorial Park, on the island of Saipan, Plate #11, Column #5 . Wesley is buried beside his parents & brother at Oak Hill cemetery in Oneonta, Alabama.