October 24, 2001

Mills honored for heartfelt service

Traverse City man receives distinguished state award

By LISA PERKINS
Herald staff writer
       Ray Mills' history of service to his country began more than 50 years ago, when he served in World War II, and continues today through his involvement in local chapters of the VFW and American Legion. That involvement is what led the State Department of the Military Order of the Purple Heart to present the "Distinguished Service Award" to Mills at their fall conference in Mackinaw City.
      Mills, who moved to Traverse City after his retirement in 1984, was instrumental in the establishment of the Purple Heart Memorial monument erected near Grand Traverse Bay in August, 2000.
      "I thought it was really important to have the memorial, for all the people who have given so much," said Mills, who is presently working with a local disabled veterans group to establish another such memorial.
      A photoengraver by trade, Mills began his military career with the Corp of Engineers working in a map library in England in December, 1943.
      "The maps that came out of that facility were used to prepare for the invasion at Normandy. Once that was complete, we were all divided up and I went to the 95th Infantry Division as a Combat Scout."
      It was with that division, scouting locations in Dortmund, Germany as they prepared to surround the town, that Mills was injured, on April 13, 1945.
      "It was the day after President Roosevelt died, three of us got hit from the same shell burst, a buddy of mine died," he said.
      Mills was sent to England to recover from his wounds and it was there that he was awarded the Purple Heart just days before the end of the war in Europe. He rejoined his division three days before they sailed for home-earmarked to be part of an invasion of Japan.
      "On that trip home I realized that the guys had thought I was dead too and divided up my clothes. I saw a guy wearing the khaki sleeveless sweater my mother-in-law knitted for me."
      Mills returned to his hometown of Detroit and his wife, Rita whom he had left behind just six days after their marriage on July 6, 1943. They raised a family together that included three daughters and two sons, eventually moving to Chicago.
      "When I retired, we didn't want to stay in Chicago because we didn't have any family there, my daughter lived here in Traverse City, we liked it and decided to move here." Today all of his children, except for one son, live in the Traverse City area. His wife passed away recently after an extended illness.
      As a past commander and past president of the Veterans Association, as well as Veteran of the Year for Grand Traverse County in 1999, Mills' history of service continues.
      On Veteran's Day next month, one of the local programs that Mills implemented will continue as an internment flag, donated by the family of a local soldier killed while on duty, will be raised to fly over Veteran's Park. This flag will fly for the next six months, until Memorial Day when another will take its place.
      "We have received 14 of these flags from families who just had them laying around in a drawer. Now they are serving a purpose."
      While working with local groups takes a great deal of his time, Mills really looks forward to the annual reunions of the remaining members of the 95th Division.
      "I never felt like a hero, I just spent most of my time being scared, we were all just scared. We all lost so many good friends."