AEDC's Master Sergeant Ryan Miller is true to his beliefs

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  When AEDC's Master Sgt. Ryan Miller attended a church service back in 1995, he wasn't exactly enthusiastic about being there. However, that single event dramatically changed his life.

Sergeant Miller, AEDC's munitions accountable systems officer, was stationed at Wheeler Army Airfield on Oahu, Hawaii, at the time. He recalls how some older friends wanted him to go to the church, hoping to provide some spiritual direction to the young man's life.

"For years I guess I considered myself an atheist; I didn't believe in any God," Sergeant Miller recalled. "What really changed my mind is I saw this preacher in Hawaii and this homeless guy walked in the door. People looked at him and shunned him and the preacher stopped his sermon, pulled him up to the front, [and] said, 'Sir, you're in a position of honor, you sit right here.'"

Miller said the event was a major turning point in his life.

"I knew then that this man [the minister] had God in him, it wasn't a religion, it was real to him and I knew then that he was making a difference because the way I see it, Christ produced life."

As it turned out, the homeless man was a physician, explained Miller.

"This man was down and out," said the master sergeant. "His family left him. He gave up on life and he lived in his car. And [that] one man changed his life. He is a vital member of society now, he got back into the groove and it's just an amazing thing what this man did."

Twenty years ago, Sergeant Miller said his own life lacked direction and he knew if that didn't change, trouble lay ahead.

"I was 17 years old and looking at getting in trouble [and] figured if I didn't leave I was probably going to end up in jail," he said. "So, I joined [the Air Force]."

Fast forward to today and all those who work with the master sergeant say the man they know has not only become a close friend, a trusted and reliable co-worker, a professional Airman, but someone who is quietly and effectively making a difference in the lives of others.

Erik Wineland, AEDC's logistics manager since 2009, had only been on the job a few days when he overheard Sergeant Miller speaking to a co-worker about an effort to help feed local school children when they weren't in school.

He had also learned that the 37-year-old senior enlisted man was leading the effort as a lay minister with a small congregation of approximately 30 people in Winchester,

"It was probably about three days into my tour here and I overheard him talking [about] a project where he was feeding kids who rely heavily on school for breakfast and lunch," Wineland said. "During the summertime, a lot of times the kids aren't getting a square meal because of their circumstances. The feeling I got was more important than the words he said. I recognized right away that this guy meant business and he does what he says he's going to do."

Wineland, a retired chief master sergeant, also saw the same determination and take charge attitude in Sergeant Miller's professional demeanor. New responsibilities entrusted to this member were beyond what are found on most Air Force bases.

"He's well suited for AEDC because we're supposed to be looking at best commercial practices to get the best value for the government," Wineland said. "We are very unique in that respect but we can use creativity and innovation to get the job done. That plays to his strengths because he is that way. So, any time the budget shrinks, he has the ability to step outside and look at things from a different angle and focus in on the important parts of the process and then identify the superfluous parts of the process and weed them out and narrow it down to a lean process."

He added, "Most recently, he just gotten rid of $93,000 worth of excess stuff that was beyond its shelf life that needed to go for a very long time. Ryan had to step out of his comfort zone and into a whole new world and he's really making it happen," Wineland said, explaining that because of AEDC's contractor work force, it presents a different work environment than most Air Force bases.

In his off-duty time, Sergeant Miller has also earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and is working on a master in business administration with a focus on project management.

Dee Wolfe, an education and training specialist at AEDC, had recently retired from the Air Force when she joined the work force at Arnold.

"Master Sgt. Miller is the epitome of senior NCO (non-commissioned officer), leader, mentor and friend," she said. "He is the kind of guy people want to follow because they know he will take care of them and will not take advantage of them or of his position over them."

She recalls one particular event that left a lasting impression.

"The best example I have of his willingness to step forward was during the retirement of a co-worker," she said. "The co-worker was reading the 'Child's Medal' to his sons as part of the ceremony and became too choked up to continue. Without a word, Master Sgt. Miller stepped forward, picked up the script and finished reading the Medal."

Janice Baker, the A&E's building manager, is Sergeant Miller's maternal great aunt.

She said Miller was like many teenagers, immature and potentially heading toward problems. However, in his case, the Air Force helped him turn his life around.

"He has served his country well, going overseas - Ryan is a very good-hearted person, very people oriented," she said, explaining what she considers the source of her nephew's values.

"My older sister is a very dedicated Christian," Baker said. "She's very good hearted, she will do anything for anybody, and Ryan is basically the same way. I think he gets a lot of that from his grandmother."

Baker said an old saying is applicable to how her nephew helps others.

"'[If] you give a man a fish; you have fed him for today; teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime,' I think that sums it up."

Wineland said Sergeant Miller has qualities that make him stand out from his peers.

"He's hardheaded, in the right way, he's persistent," said Wineland. "Ryan has a tender heart and tough hide and he will help you, but you have to be willing to help yourself. He'll give you 49 percent, but you've got to be willing to give 51 percent, not the other way around. And he will tell you what you're doing wrong from where he sees it and he's never been anything but honest."

Sergeant Miller, who plans to retire next summer, has a few words of advice for Airmen following in his path or just anyone in life.

"The first thing is, foremost, be generous, always give," he said. "And, always be prepared, have a plan, from the very beginning, on everything. We make plans for everything and like Erik [Wineland] said, some of them don't go through. We set that plan to the side or revamp it or whatever we've got to do and we move on. Always have a plan financially and a plan for your future, for education."