VALLEY CENTER, Kan. (BP)–Friends and family members of Patrick Miller are expressing confidence that the American POW will make it home safely.
Miller, 23, and four others became America’s first prisoners of war when they were captured by Iraqi soldiers. Soon thereafter, they were seen answering questions on Iraqi television. The four men and one woman are members of the Army’s 507th Maintenance Company, which is part of the 111th Air Defense Artillery Brigade from Fort Bliss, Texas.
The news has brought the approximately 5,000 citizens of Patrick’s hometown, Valley Center, Kan., closer together. Several churches gathered March 24 to pray for Miller, who was married at Olivet Baptist Church in Wichita — which is a few miles south of Valley Center — and accepted Christ during marriage counseling.
“We prayed for Patrick and his family, for the fallen soldier’s families, for the troops, for the leaders, for the people of Iraq,” Bobby Massey, pastor of Valley Center Assembly of God, told Baptist Press March 25.
Miller’s sister, Kimberly, believes she’ll see her brother again.
“Anytime you look at him on the television he’s holding his head up high,” she told The Kansas City Star. “He’s going to stand strong through anything, and his family is on his side. He’s a fighter, and he’s going to make it.
“He’s a good man. That’s what everybody needs to know. That’s all everybody needs to know.”
Miller formerly worked at AutoLifters of America — a manufacturing company — where his former co-workers expressed surprise at the news of his capture.
“He’s a tough kid,” Jason Brommer, an employee at the company, told The Newton Kansan newspaper. “He’ll be all right. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”
Said Earl Unruh, another former coworker: “Pat was so easy to get along with. He was the kind of guy who would get along with everybody.”
Miller graduated from Valley Center High School, where he wrestled and played football. “Patrick is one of the most loyal people I know,” Brian Shelton, his wrestling coach, told The Star. “He’d come by and help with the wrestling team after graduation. He supported people, and people are going to support him.”
Jane Smith, a clerk at a local drug store, said Miller’s situation is the subject of many conversations.
“Everyone has an opinion on it,” she told the Wichita Business Journal. “… There’s a lot of support for this young man and his family. Everyone is hoping for the best.”
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