[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12017]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING CLAIR MILLER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 15, 2003

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Clair Miller, a 
true American hero whose life has come to an end but whose legacy will 
endure.
  Clair lived a remarkable life. He grew up in a small town in 
Pennsylvania, where he played the piano, started a band, and became a 
professional musician. He joined the Army Air Forces in 1942 to serve 
his country. He was captured by the Germans and spent nine months as a 
prisoner of war, a time during which he endured constant beatings and 
mental and physical abuse. He received the Purple Heart and many other 
medals for his service.
  In 1964, Clair joined the Office of Special Investigations to 
investigate Nazi persecution during the war. He then joined the staff 
of Mease Dunedin Hospital and worked there for 18 years. He was 
appointed to the Dunedin City Commission in 1979, a body on which he 
served so ably that it proclaimed December 17, 1982, as ``Clair Miller 
Day.''
  Clair also was active in many volunteer, service, and military 
organizations. He selflessly devoted his time, energy, and money to 
help those less fortunate than himself, to preserve the City of 
Dunedin's rich history, and to protect the benefits that our veterans 
earned as a result of their service to our country.
  Clair Miller's story, however, is more than that of veteran, 
volunteer, and community leader. He was a loving husband to his 
beautiful wife, Geale. He was a patriot who preached about the 
importance of freedom and the price to protect it. He also was my 
friend.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have known Clair Miller. I will miss him, 
as will his many friends, family, and others whose lives were fortunate 
to have crossed paths with his. I hope my words here today will in some 
small measure comfort his family and serve as a lasting memorial to a 
modern day patriot.

                          ____________________