Humble Leadership: Lessons from 32 Years of Military Service
In this episode of Unstoppable Stories, host Nathan James welcomes Lloyd “Milo” Miles, Senior Vice President of Global Military Operations at UMGC and retired U.S. Army officer, for a powerful conversation on leadership, service, and purpose. Milo shares how his 32-year military career shaped his approach to leading others—and how his second chapter in higher education is rooted in that same sense of mission.
From his early days at West Point to leading troops in the field, Milo discusses the formative experiences that shaped his leadership philosophy and passion for servant leadership. He reflects on the values instilled through military service, the importance of humility, and how his commitment to supporting others continues to guide his work in education today.
Episode Information
Milo Miles:
Never let your education get in the way of your learning. And I've remembered that lesson for the rest of my time, even to this day. And I've used that even in, you know, in every job I've had. Don't let your education get in the way of your learning. Sometimes we think that because we have diplomas on the wall or certificates or we have some title in front of our name that somehow that means we've got all the answers.
And the reality is you're just dumb. And that many times, you know, you aren't the smartest person in the room. And that the best answer and maybe the most logical one may come from somebody that is the most junior member of your team. If you don't let your education get in the way of your learning.
Intro:
Welcome to the UMGC podcast, Unstoppable Stories with your host, Nathan James.
Nathan James:
Hey, everybody. Yep. This is, uh, this is Nathan and it's really great to have you here. Thank you for, uh, listening. Uh, I am here with Lloyd Milo Miles. Uh, we affectionately know him as Milo. Milo is the, uh, UMGC, senior Vice President of Global Military, uh, operations here, uh, at UMGC Now.
Milo was also a retired army general. He has commanded at every level from captain to major general. He earned his bachelor's in science in engineering from the US Military Academy at West Point and Master of Science in National Strategic Studies from the US Army. War College. He served for 32 years, retiring in 2012, and afterwards joined us, joined the UMGC family in, uh, January of 2015, uh, as the senior VP of Global Military Operations.
And, and now, uh. His career at UMGC is actually coming to a close with an upcoming retirement here, uh, which makes me and us all the more grateful for you Milo, uh, being on, uh, with us today in these last few weeks or, uh, or a couple months that you're here with us. So, uh, thank you so much, Milo, for being here.
Thanks for having me, Nathan. Okay. So Milo, uh, after you retired from the military. Uh, why UMGC?
Milo Miles:
Well, thanks for the question, Nathan. It, it actually is one I get asked quite a bit because a lot of my peers, you know, leaving the military, they actually go into the defense industry. I. Uh, we're highly sought after there. There's some natural linkages between, you know, what we did in the military and of course what the defense industry is looking for. But for me, I wanted to go a different route, mainly because of a couple things. First of all, uh, education has always been at the forefront and in our family. We, um, I grew up in a family of, uh, eight kids and then my parents.
We grew up poor on the wrong side of the tracks, and my mom was the one that used to push education all the time. She wasn't highly educated. She graduated from high school and then was an immigrant to this country and didn't speak any English. And I think she realized that if there was any chance that her eight kids would have it would have to be, uh, through education. And so she pushed it all the time, uh, encouraged us. And so I always had a soft spot in my heart for education. In fact, two of my older siblings are currently involved in education. They both went through the public school system, you know, they became teachers. And then on the administrative side they became principals and then superintendents.
And now my oldest brother actually runs a charter school system in several states. And my. Uh, one of my sister actually, uh, works for him now in that particular space. But the point is that education was, was very important to our family, and so I wanted to do something, uh, in that space. Uh, the second thing is really, you know, during my time in the military, uh, those young troops, they do everything you ask 'em to do. It was really an honor, uh, over those 32 years being able to lead them. But in my second chapter of my life, I really wanted to. To do something that would actually support them. You know, so you lead them on, in one career, I wanted to support them in another, uh, and perhaps provide that same promise of education.
To them so that they might be able to change the uh, trajectory of their own lives.
Nathan James:
Huh. Wow. Now, as a kid, you're coming up and your family prioritized education, just like you said. What a story. Um, and a big family too. Uh, what inspired you in all of that to join the military?
Milo Miles:
I think, um. It was probably always in my blood in terms of, you know, I was the kid that always played in the dirt outside. I'd like to crawl around, climb trees, swing on ropes, climb fences. It was almost like a natural, you know, for me and as a kid, my favorite toys were like little toy soldiers, and it could just, you know, not just the little green army men, but it could be, you know, cowboys and indians. It could be knights and I'd have 'em all fighting in battles, you know, all together from all the different eras. But it was just something I, you know, I always wanted to do. It's something that I really liked, you know, playing at. And so I. As I grew, it just, uh, was a natural.
Nathan James:
Now your father, um, served, uh, in the military as well and everybody, just for context, Milo's father was a retired command sergeant. Major, uh, actually served for 32 years just like Milo did. Was he a role model for you in that way at all? Inspiring you to join the military? What was, what would you say to that?
Milo Miles:
I would say in a little, in a little different way. My father never actually, um. Um, stated that he wanted my brothers or I, or even my sisters to join the military. He just wanted us to do, um, you know, good, honest work.
He didn't care what it was, uh, you know, hold a job. Um. Honest work and just work hard at it. Uh, I think what I picked up from it though was really, um, just as example, you know, of getting up every day and, you know, going to work and staying with it and working hard. Uh, and so maybe some of that, you know, did, you know, rub off, you know, on me in, in different, in different ways. He had a pretty, you know, amazing journey himself and I think that journey kind of inspired me in, in, you know, other ways for him. You know, he ended up on occupation duty. At the end of the Second World War, and that's where he met my, my mom. And he served there for, you know, several years. And then the Korean War broke out.
So this is a guy who never intended on joining the military, uh, ends up in the military and then ends up occupation duty. Then the Korean War. He gets wounded in the Korean War, and by the time he recovered, he had about 10 years in the military. So at that point, he had a decision to make, you know, he kind of felt like, well, he kind of liked the military, so maybe he stayed until 20, you know, or maybe, you know, get out and then go on about his life. But since he found out that he liked it, he decided he would stay to 20, get the retirement benefit, and then, uh, then, you know, proceed to do something out.
But at, at the 20 year mark, uh, is when the Vietnam War broke out. So now he's a senior non-commission officer. Uh, everybody figured the war would be short. So he, you know, again, tried to wrestle with, do I get out or do we go ahead and go on this deployment with my troops? Come back, you know, it'll be a short war, come back and then get on out. Well, as we all know, it wasn't a short war and 10 years later and three different tours in Vietnam, um, my father, you know, put all that service in. Um, I used to go, he used to invite me to go to the VFW, you know, with him sometimes when I was, you know, um, much older. Uh, and I would sit around listening to all these old veterans, some at that time from, you know, world War II, Korea, Vietnam, and they're all sitting around, all telling war stories.
And I always thought it was kind of odd. I'm just a fly on the wall listening to these old guys and, uh, you know, they would all talk as if they knew the same people. One of 'em would bring up, Hey, did you know someone, whatever, and you know the one from World War II in Vietnam? Oh yeah, I knew him. And they would all share stories about him. And I'm sitting there thinking, how can that even be possible? I mean, you guys are like senile because there's no way you're different time periods, different wars, and yet you're all know the same people. What I came to appreciate later is that it wasn't necessarily the, the person. That they knew it was really the experience.
They all knew people like that during their time in service. The same shared, uh, fears, boredom, loneliness, you know, you could name it. Uh, and that's probably true going back to Washington's army. And so I really do appreciate these old veterans and, and their comradery and their shared experiences, even if they were, you know, in different conflicts. One of the things that I remember from my dad saying all the time when I was a kid growing up, he said the three things that he hated most while he served in the military was cold coffee, wet to toilet paper, and second lieutenants. And at that time I had no idea what a second lieutenant was, but I remember him coming home and always telling my mom these stories about what some dumb second lieutenant did.
Second lieutenant, this second lieutenant that, and I just thought at the time as a kid that, wow, you know, these second lieutenants must be the lowest of the low. I mean, obviously they, they're screw, you know, screwing up all the time. Well, it wasn't until I received an appointment to West Point that I realized that, Hey, wait a minute, when I graduate, I'm gonna be one of those lieutenants that my dad was always, you know, talking about. No way. In fact, he. He would tell his buddies that the reason why he got out of the military was so that he wouldn't have to salute his son when I became a second lieutenant out of the military academy. Stop it. And the real truth of the matter is, you know, he had, had, uh, reached a point where he had to retire, you know, from the military, just from the number of years.
The West Point has this, uh, beautiful tradition that, uh. Every graduate carries a civil dollar in their pocket. And upon graduation, we get commissioned on the same, at the same ceremony as second lieutenants in the United States Army. And the tradition has it that the first enlisted person, uh, in uniform that salutes you, you return the salute and then you present that individual with the silver dollar coin. Sure. Well, for me, that individual was my dad. It was there in his uniform. I didn't know he was gonna show up in his uniform. I. Rendered the first salute and I gave him that silver dollar coin. What was so amazing about that is my father, he treasured that coin for the rest of his life. He kept it in a little container, uh, on his bedside table, and it was there until the day that he died.
And in fact, one of the last things he told my older sister, I wasn't there when he passed, is to make sure that I got that coin, that silver dollar coin back. Oh. So it really went full circle from me presenting it to him. Then of course it coming back to me. And I remember Fort Carson, uh, those troops out there, he, he passed away in Colorado Springs and the nearest military base was Fort Carson, Colorado. And the military did a terrific job. They sent, uh, an honor guard, you know, for burial detail, uh, soldiers to carious casket, uh, his flag drape casket, and those that provided the 21 gun salute. Uh, they did a terrific thing and then allowed me. To serve as the officer. 'cause every funeral has a presiding officer over that.
And the presiding officer's job is to take the flag once it's been folded by the troops. And then we present it to, uh, the, the, the designated member of the family. In this case, it was gonna be my oldest sister because my mom had already passed away. But what was neat about that is, you know, after this gentleman, my dad. Presenting me with my first salute, I was able to render him the last salute as they folded that flag, and then, you know, presented it to me. So it really did come, uh, full circle, you know, not only just for me, but for my dad, and also for my family.
Nathan James:
Full circle. Uh, my goodness. You never forget, ever forget something like that. That is a lot to wrap the mind around. Milo, thank you for sharing that. You mentioned in there as well, even going back in your military career, right? So you attended, uh, west Point, right? Uh, what would you say attracted you, uh, to West Point, uh, as you were joining the Army?
Milo Miles:
You know, I'd like to say it was something, you know, well thought out and, you know, planned, but really it was from the time I was in the third grade, I remember seeing this, uh, there used to be this. Show on television called The West Point Story. It was an old black and white drama, uh, that was filmed at West Point. Uh, and they started and ended every, uh, episode with cadets marching on the planes at West Point. I remember one day seeing that as a, as a third grader, thinking, wow, you know, I wanna, I wanna be one of those guys.
You know, they had the, the fancy uniforms with the long, uh, tails on the coat, the big plumes on the, the, uh, hats that they wore. Yes, sir. And I was just so wowed by it all. But since that time, I always wanted to. To go to the, uh, the academy. And I remember as a third grader, you know, teachers asking, you know, what do you wanna be when you grow up, kind of thing. And most of the students in the class at that time wanted to be astronauts because, you know, man had not set foot on the moon yet, but the Apollo program was in full swing. And so you, you know, you heard about it all the time, or they wanted to be firefighters and things like that. But I would say that, you know, I answered that I wanted to be a cadet.
And I always got a, a chuckle out of the, out of the teachers. But yeah, I always wanted to go since I saw that the. Playing on television.
Nathan James:
Yeah. And you made good on that. You made good on that, and you didn't turn back, uh, as a young man that knew what he wanted. Okay. Okay. So, all right. You graduate West Point, and you're a new lieutenant at this point. We know how much your dad loves lieutenants. Okay. So you're a new, you're a new lieutenant, right? Um, uh, what was one of the earliest lessons you learned, uh, at that, at that time as a new lieutenant?
Milo Miles:
Yeah, that's an easy one because, you know, first of all, I learned a lot. Obviously there, you, you are constantly stepping in it.
I guess that's why those non-commissioned officers had those stories about lieutenants. But for me, uh, I would say, um, it's a lesson that I learned and, and stayed with throughout my life and in including this particular job here. Uh, one of the things as an infantry officer we learned is that there are. There are two machine guns in an infantry platoon. An infantry platoon is, uh, comprised of 37 men. At that time, we didn't, there were no females in the, in the unit. Uh, and I'm the officer in charge of this group, and we're really only armed with our rifles, some pistols. And then you have these two machine guns. So what they trained us and taught us at the military academy is that the officer, the lieutenant, was responsible for the emplacement of those two weapons. They're so critical. They're the only mass casualty producing weapons that we had in the platoon. Got it. Heavy weapons. Okay. Uh, so I, it was something they drilled it, drilled it, drilled it, and I felt pretty good coming outta the academy that I, I could do that task.
And then we went from the academy to basic training and once again, I. They, you know, drilled that you're doing it, um, you know, tabletop exercises, you're doing it in the field. You're really making sure that you can, you can accomplish that task. So I get to my first unit at Fort Carson, as you mentioned, uh, and our very first field problem probably within a field training exercise, probably within 30 days after I got arrived at Fort Carson, we were now in the field training. And so I remember as we went into a patrol base on the first day of the exercise, patrol base is almost like a, think of it like a wagon wheel, you know, in the defense with, in the very center would was my platoon sergeant, myself, uh, and then the radio operator.
Uh, and so the defense is put in, I drop my ruck sack right there in the middle with my platoon sergeant, and then I told the platoon sergeant, Hey, I'm gonna go and then place the machine guns. He says to me, sir, you know, don't worry about the in placement of the machine guns. The assistant platoon sergeant has got it. Well, now I wanted to show these folks that, you know, I could, I could do something. I was a brand new. Dump second lieutenant, but at least there was a task that I could do. Yeah, and you gotta remember in, in the background is that I joined an organization that had a lot of experience. So all of my non-commissioned officers, the middle managers. Uh, the team leaders had around five to 10 years of experience. The squad leaders about 10 to 15, the platoon sergeant, about 15 to 20. And even the young troops, the new ones, the ones below, you know, the junior enlisted troops had from one to four years of service. Huh. So even the youngest private had more experience in the military than I did coming straight outta the academy.
And yet I was in charge. You were in charge. I wanted to speak. I mean, I wanted to show that I could do something. I felt pretty good about that task because they had trained us well at the academy and now basically That makes sense. You had something to prove. Yeah, that's right. I had something to prove to, to this group of combat Tism and all these non-commissioned officers that served in Vietnam, many of them, multiple tours, and now they have this again, inexperienced lieutenant. So anyway, I told them, Hey, platoon, sir, I, I got this. You know, I, I, I got it. He says, sir. Sergeant, the, uh, assistant platoon sergeants got it. And so I said, no. I put my hand up. I said, you know, I, I got this. And his response to me and I remember was, all right, sir. Now when a non-commissioned officer tells you as a young officer, uh, all right, sir, that pretty much means you, do you, I mean, you're on your own. So sure enough, I went out there, I found the, the Mach, the first machine gun and its two man crew. I looked for a place where it might be good to and, and place it, you know, I looked, got down, uh, you know, my hands on my knees and I'm looking how far out I could see. Uh, yeah, you know, in terms of the effective fields of fire.
Found the second gun in place. That, and then, uh, started going, you know, walking back to the center where my platoon sergeant was. Right about the time that I arrived there, the assistant platoon sergeant, I hear him yelling. He is screaming. At the top of his voice, he is saying, who put the blankety blank machine guns in this blankety blank position? And those two young troops that were the machine gun crew, I mean, they threw me under the bus in half a second. They just said Lieutenant Miles did Sergeant. I mean, they didn't even hesitate. Okay. So I, I could hear the yelling. So I walked back to that location and sure enough, the, uh, I asked the assistant platoon Sergeant, you know, what's the problem? He said, sir, did you put the guns here? I said, you know, yes I did. What? What, what? What's wrong with the positioning? He said, sir, did you get down behind the gun? And I said, well, yeah, you know, I knelt and I could see out there. And he said, no, sir. Did you lay down behind the guns? Now nowhere in the training that I went through at the academy or at basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia did they tell us to lay on our belly behind.
Weapon and sight through it. And so he said, sir, get down behind the gun. So I did. I laid down there, and as soon as you lay behind the weapon, just like the gunner would be doing, you would only be able to see about 50 meters because the terrain rose ever so slightly. If you were standing, it looked pretty flat. As soon as you laid on your belly, it was clear that that gunner would not be able to see very far. And so obviously I was very embarrassed and, um, learned a valuable lesson. I walked back to where my platoon sergeant was, and I, you know, he's chuckling, he's, and so I said, what's up on you, sergeant? And he said, he said, let me give you a piece of advice.
He said, uh, never let your education get in the way of your learning.
Nathan James:
Hmm.
Milo Miles:
Never let your education. Get in the way of your learning. And I've remembered that lesson for the rest of my time, even to this day. And I've used that even in, you know, in every job I've had. And even in, you know, here at the university, don't let your education get in the way of your learning. Sometimes we think that because we have, you know, uh, diplomas on the wall or certificates or we have some title in front of our name that somehow that means we've got all the answers. And the reality is you just don't. Many times, you know, you aren't the smartest person in the room and that the best answer and maybe the most logical one may come from somebody that is the most junior member of your team if you don't let your education get in the way of your learning. So I think that is a, you know, it was a, a valuable life lesson that I learned the hard way, and there would be, you know, probably many more along those same lines that I would learn from those great non-commissioned officers.
Nathan James:
In military culture, as you can imagine, everybody listening who's not familiar with, you know, what it's like to be in the military. You develop some very special relationships through these kinds of experiences. Um, uh, whether it be hard knocks like that or whatnot. Um, and, uh, Milo, um, you, uh, early in your military career, you had a special, uh, relationship. I wanted to ask you to talk about that, uh, special friendship, um, with your, uh, comrad, uh, Steve, uh, Reynolds. Um. Could you please share, uh, about that?
Milo Miles:
Yeah, you did your homework. Nathan. Uh, yeah, Steven, uh, Steve Reynolds really was a, a, a good and dear friend. We actually met quite by accident after the academy. Uh, every officer goes to where they would take their basic training, and I was an infantry officer, so I was sent to Fort Benning. If you were an armor officer, you'd be sent to Fort Knox, artillery, Fort Sill, et cetera, uh, for your basic training. So Steve and I were infantry officers. I didn't know him before we had arrived there at the, uh, at uh, Fort Benning. But on that very first morning we did, you know, PT about six o'clock. And after that we, uh, went into the dining facility or mess hall as it was called back then to eat breakfast really quick.
Uh, and they wanted you to, as you got your tray to fill up every table. 'cause there was a lot of students. There just wasn't a lot of room. So, you know, you didn't sit wherever you wanted, you just filled a table. Then they'd open the next one, et cetera. So anyway, I went through the, the Chow nine and I, you know, I got eggs and sausage, et cetera. And as I'm getting near the end of the chow nine, I see what looks like, uh, cream of wheat and I like hot cereals. I grew up out west, you know, we eat cream of wheat, oatmeal, et cetera. And so I see this, you know, this thing that kind of looks like cream of wheat. It looks a little bit thicker, uh, a little bit grainier, but. So it wasn't like what my mom used to make, but I kind of figured, hey, this is the army and you know, it's not known for its cuisine. So I figured, hey, this is probably the Army's version of Cream of wheat. So I asked for some and they put it on my tray. And then, you know, I went and took my seat at the next, uh, available one.
Steve Reynolds happened to be the person behind me in the line line, and of course, he sat in the seat directly across from me. After I said my prayers, I went to reach for the sugar to put on top of my cream and wheat. Uh, and as I got ready to do so, uh, Steve Reynolds, I mean, he says in a very direct and somewhat loud voice, what are you doing? And so I paused. I looked up and I thought, okay, here we go. First day and already there's some issue. And I responded also in a very direct voice and said, I'm putting some sugar on my cream of wheat. He responded, that ain't Cream of wheat, Dems grits. And he was, I could tell he was pretty offended by it all.
Anyway, long story short, Steve and I became, you know, pretty good friends and I think it's probably 'cause he felt sorry for me. He probably thought that anybody that didn't know the difference between cream of wheat and grits probably was not gonna make it into the military, but. From where I was from out west. I had never seen it, never tasted it, actually never heard of, it was never on any menu, that sort of thing. So it was a, a cultural education for me as well. Anyway, one of the strange things with, uh, that happened, uh, Steve and I, uh, ended up finding out that we both had this lifelong dream of someday visiting Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas High in the Andes Mountains. I mean, what are the odds, right? This. A kid from North Georgia, uh, this other kid from, you know, out west and, uh, both had this dream of, of going there. So we actually talked about it a lot and how we wanted to go, go there, travel there, what we had learned about the place. And so we made some plans, as you would expect, outta two new lieutenants, kind of hastily done.
But we were gonna travel to Machu Picchu over the Christmas break. And so we had put in our leave request, et cetera. Had all the logistics, uh, worked out. And the day before we were set to travel, we were told by our company commander that our leave was disapproved. 'cause apparently at that time, the, uh, Sandara Luminoso, the Shining Path gorillas were very active in that region of, of, uh, Peru. So it, it was denied. So obviously we were very disappointed, but we made a promise to each other that someday we would get to Machu Picchu and if we didn't go together. Whoever, uh, went there, had to drink a cup of Joe or a cup of coffee, you know, to the other one. Well, as it turns out, you know, sadly, uh, within a year after graduating from the basic course, uh, Steve Reynolds was killed, uh, in a training accident, uh, there at, uh, Fort Benning.
Uh, then of course, a couple decades later, I would be, uh, severely injured by a grenade and would lose, uh, my leg. And then of course, uh, a lot of other injuries. So things weren't looking too good for. Team cream of wheat and grits. But I would find out, you know, perhaps, uh, you know, maybe in the early two thousands, I think it was around 2005, 2006 time period, that, uh, I was on a mission down in Latin America and I, I knew in my heart that this might be the last opportunity, if I was ever gonna fulfill that promise that Steve and I made to one another, this was gonna have to be it.
So, I remember telling my spouse that, you know, at the end of the, the mission. I was gonna travel to Peru and, and try to get to the top of Machu Picchu. So, wow. She completely understood. In fact, she bought me a thermos, uh, that I could take with me. And I remember after the training mission was done, I flew into Lima, Peru, then rode a train to Cusco and from Cusco by bus, and then from there, uh, on foot. And I had a thermos of hot coffee that I had filled up that, that morning at the, uh, hotel. Uh, and I eventually made it to the top. It was a little bit difficult, especially with, uh, the prosthetic and, you know, some of the other, uh, challenges I had at the time. Um, but I remember just the feeling, you know, standing there when I got, uh, on the very top, uh, I took that, you know, that thermos of hot coffee and I took off the, the lid and I poured that.
First cup of coffee and then just poured it right out on the ground to Steve Reynolds. And then I poured another cup of coffee and I just took my time and and drank that one. And it was probably the best cup of coffee I've ever had, you know, in my life. But really more importantly, you know, it was just the feeling of being of finally fulfilling a promise, you know, to a friend. That was made so many, uh, decades before.
Nathan James:
I cannot imagine the feeling. Uh, we had talked about this before, I think Milo, um, of Yes. Of being on that mountaintop and, and sipping that coffee. That is, that's another sort of full circle, you know? Um, my goodness. I, you, you, you mentioned, um. Actually the, the training incident, um, that, that you ended up having and, um, and I, I want to give. Everyone context, uh, for this next couple of questions I'm gonna have for Milo. Uh, so, uh, Milo is the fourth soldier, uh, since the Civil War, uh, to be promoted to general as an amputee and is the only one, uh, to serve multiple combat tours. Uh, after becoming an amputee, the only one. Uh, so Milo, I think anybody listening, uh, and hearing and understands that this could not have been easy, um, by any stretch, um, you've already referenced how that injury took place.
Uh, for you, what were the challenges, uh, for covering, uh, from this injury, uh, in order to serve out in the field again?
Milo Miles:
Yeah, let me start by, you know, providing some context, the. The grenade actually, uh, blew my left leg off below the knee, and that really was one of the simpler injuries to be, to be honest. Uh, the grenade also separated my, uh, big toe on my right foot, you know, from the rest of the, the foot, uh, shattered and damaged, heavily damaged the right leg. It looked like Swiss cheese. It took out parts of bone. Of course, a lot of the flesh and muscle. Injuries up through, um, my thigh, uh, shrapnel embedded. I still have about 42 pieces from my hip down, and then numerous pieces through from my belly button up through my chest. Obviously they had to lay that open so they could remove pieces of shrapnel and then of course a lot of it into the neck and then to the face, and then, um, add out to the sides of my, uh, face as the shrapnel bounced off the teeth and went in different directions Now, all that to say that it really, in some ways was a, a blessing, uh, in disguise because even though it broke most of my teeth, in fact, as I was laying there on the ground with the wind knocked outta me, I thought that I had a, I had pebbles and rocks in my mouth, so I was really trying to spit them out.
I didn't realize at the time that they were my. Teeth that were shattered. That's unbelievable. I say it was a blessing in disguise because no shrapnel actually went up, you know, and actually into the brain, or obviously my eyesight, it was all hit here and out through the sides. So yes, it broke 'em out, knocked them out. But, uh, it actually, you know, uh, perhaps saved my life. And then none of the shrapnel, and there were dozens of pieces in the, uh, central portion. None of those pieces hit a vital organ. So in muscle and tissue, et cetera. But none of my vital organs were hit by a piece of ol, so I was blessed in many ways.
Nathan James:
I'm thankful. I'm thankful to hear Milo. I'm thankful.
Milo Miles:
Well, thank you very much. Yeah. I would say, you know, the, uh, the hardest part was really the year in recovery. I was an inpatient at Walter Reed for an entire year in Ward. That's tough, you know, just being confined like that. And then I spent another year, uh, uh, in, uh, rehab as an outpatient. So really two years of my life really focused around just healing. But the, the point I wanna make is not so much, uh, the injuries, uh, and what I was, uh, able to accomplish afterwards. It really was all the support that I had in order to get to that spot. I mean, I would never. Would've been able to continue, never would've been able to stay in the military if I didn't have the great support that I had.
I mean, starting with the doctors, obviously, you know, they did tremendous work to be able to stitch, you know, Humpty Dumpty back together again. And they did, you know, super work. Uh, there were the physical therapist, the occupational therapist that just. Kept at it, didn't give up on me. You know, kept pushing, kept pushing, kept pushing, uh, so that I could eventually regain functionality in the different portions of, you know, my limbs. Uh, there were old veterans that used to come around, uh, daily. A lot of them were either from the Korean War or Vietnam era that were amputees themselves. They would stop by the ward just to encourage me. I'd see groups of them, usually the same group down at physical therapy. When I finally was up on a prosthetic and could, you know, go through the training there, they'd always be there, usually in a wheelchair.
They didn't have their prosthetic on. They usually had their prosthetics on their lap, and they usually didn't do any physical therapy. They usually just sat there all socializing with one another. Look at that. And every time as I passed by on the track, they would say, do one more. Do one more, sir. And that kind of thing. Uh, so it was really, you know, very encouraging from that standpoint to push me, to push me, you know, on and on. And then. Uh, I would not have been able to do it without my fiance at the time. Then my, you know, now my wife, uh, who, you know, came every day, uh, to support me, stayed with me. Um, and then my, my immediate family, I had a sister who was a nurse out in Colorado, but she, uh, left her family to stay with me for 90 days in my hospital room, sleeping in a chair for 90 days, uh, just to make sure that I got the kind of care that she, I.
I thought I needed, 'cause I really was kind of a, a turtle on my back. I mean, I really couldn't do anything. It was 90 days before I was even able to, uh, get up to go to the bathroom on my own, using a, a walker. Uh, so, and then the rest of my siblings, you know, my seven brothers and sisters, uh, my parents, uh, my dad ended up setting up a duty roster, you know, typical old sergeant major. So where he assigned each of my siblings a week for, you know, a certain week of the month for them to be there. And we laugh about it now is, you know, in hindsight. But the amazing thing is that all of my siblings followed it. Wow. They were all grown and families, et cetera, but yet they all followed the duty roster published by the Sergeant Major.
And so because there were seven siblings and then my parents as the eighth group, uh, really, they were there every other month. Right. They took their week. Then it wouldn't be until, you know, uh, two months later that they would have to go back through the rotation again. But they all did it, it, it just would not have been possible for the recovery if I didn't have that kind of support of folks that were just, you know, pushing me and, uh, loving me and, and giving me hope actually in terms of what, what, uh, what was possible. Uh, and so when I, uh, later on in my career, I would, you know, whenever I was assigned into the, uh. DMV area. I made it a point, you know, to go by the, uh, Walter Reed visit the amputee ward and clinic to be able to encourage those young troopers that were going through, you know, something similar just so they could see that, you know, it's still possible, you know, your life isn't over and that with, you know, you're sure it's gonna take a lot of hard work, but you can still do those things that you had planned to do.
But, you know, you, you gotta be determined. And for those that had support, they would be, you know, much further along in their, their healing process.
Nathan James:
Well, so at this point, you're faced with a, with a choice, right? Um, you could have taken a medical retirement at that point. Right. And, uh. I know you got the question that I'm about to ask you now a bunch of times, which is, uh, what motivates you to stay on?
Milo Miles:
It's a good question. I, uh, wrote a, a paper, uh, on it, I don't know, about 2001 time period called Why I State. I. That gives you a more complete answer. And I only wrote it because there were so many questions. Usually the same question. It was, you know, why are you staying in the military? You know, why not take the retirement and then go do something else that would be easier on your body?
And all that makes makes sense. I think the short answer is that that's not where my heart was. You know, my passion was always since the time I was a little kid crawling in the mud, it was always to be serving with troops to be out in the field. And if I couldn't do that. You know, uh, I didn't wanna serve in the military, you know, if I couldn't be with troops in the field, in the dirt, uh, a desk job just wasn't something that I was looking for, uh, at that time. So that's probably the first, uh, reason I'd give. It's just not where my passion was. It really was in, uh, leading troops and being out there with them. The second reason is that, you know, I, I thought back on all the sacrifice. So many people made. Not just in that moment. 'cause there was a lot surrounding the incident itself and, you know, people giving up time and money, et cetera, just to travel there and be in hotels and so on.
Uh, it was very, uh, costly, uh, uh, activity. But it goes back further. You know, it goes back to the sacrifices my parents made when we were kids. Uh, my siblings. Uh, it could be in, you know, just the belief that. Those platoon sergeants had in me on and on and on. You know, there were so many folks along the way that I felt like I, I had to, I had to keep pushing on, you know, and I think, again, it's kind of a blessing when you, I think, grow up, um, poor, is that I think you, you do have a lot of grit, you know, uh, it's something that I wouldn't want to trade. It's something that, you know, you have deep down, uh, inside because there's really no alternative. You gotta push on. And so many of our students are in that same situation. Maybe not physically, but there are other challenges. It could be emotional, it could be financial, it could be marital, you name it. Uh, and they're doing it the hard way.
This is a difficult endeavor that they're undertaking. And so you feel really good about helping them and helping them see that you can do it. Press on, press on, press on. And I think that's, uh, that's the lesson I took away from that. And so I couldn't quit. It's one of those that, you know, I had to, I had to see it through and it wasn't, it wasn't easy. I mean, there's no doubt about it. I remember, you know, from the military standpoint, they wanted me to go to some other branch that would also not be the combat arms, perhaps in a desk. And, uh, when I refused in the medical board, they. I said, all right, but I would have to, if I wanted to stay in the infantry, clearly I had to be able to pass the, the infantry standards. And so not only the PT test pt, but also the 12 Mile Road March, et cetera. And that was, it was really, uh, really difficult. And I remember, uh, days, especially the road march, it was really hard. I didn't have a great prosthetic then, like I do now. These high tech ones that they, they produce, it was really, uh, a lot more primitive, which meant you didn't have as much absorption and the foot was a little stiffer and the pylon was a little stiffer, et cetera. Uh, so marching on it, you know, for 12 miles, it really just rubbed the stump raw, and it would always be bloody. At the end of the day, I'd come back, you know, pretty much in tears as I took off that leg. My wife would help me clean it, help massage it. You know, you take pain med and the next day you strap it on, go out and do it again. But you just kept at it, just didn't, uh, just didn't quit. And over time, like a lot of things, you know, you, you stay at it. The longer you you do it, the, the easier it becomes. I won't say ever really easy, but certainly easier. Uh, and then surrounded by great people that just kept encouraging me and assisting me, quite honestly, uh, to get through it.
Nathan James:
Yeah. You went on to. Um, leave a, a stellar legacy Milo. Uh, nothing short of that of service. I'm sure there were moments where it seemed like, I do not know where the way forward is, uh, but you kept pressing on and looking back now, uh, this legacy, this stellar legacy that you have left of service and, um, I can only imagine all of the soldiers that you've impacted. Um, and, uh, and. You know, here you are at this point. Um. At the Twilight, not just of your military career from before, but now the twilight of your UMGC career too. So when looking back on your entire career, right, with military and UMGC, uh, what would you say would be the most important life lesson, uh, you've learned, uh, that you would wish to, to pass on to, to others?
Milo Miles:
You know, as I look back over, uh, my military career and now the career here at, uh, UMGC. It would be if I had to, you know, choose one word, it would be humility. Uh, I have attended a lot of leadership schools, you know, in the military at every rank they send you to another school. Uh, obviously we have our own leadership development program here at the university. I. And every place, uh, every school I attended, um, not once, uh, was humility mentioned as a characteristic for a leader. Uh, and so if I had to do it all again, and, and I've taught a lot of leadership classes, I would put that front and center as, as a characteristic for, uh, leaders. You know, usually in your leadership schools, they talk about things like being decisive and having a vision and being able to communicate and so on and so on. Um, but never humility. And I think, you know, to, to be a true servant leader, you have to have some of that humility because humility is what allows you to see the humanity in other people. You know, without it, you, you will look past people you won't even know and see that they are there. You won't even empathize with the challenges that they may have because it's just not part of how you see the world.
And so, uh, with that, you know, you really can. Uh, relate, I believe, to the struggles of other people, the struggles of your own workforce, uh, and then do something about it. And so I, I would think that that has to be, you know, front and center. If I had to do it all again, I would make sure that that was, you know, the number one leadership lesson and not some of the other ones that are listed. Not that they're not important, but I just think this one is so much more important. And I wish, uh, that had been taught in my leadership schools early on. That's what I would pass on.
Nathan James:
Well, Milo, what's so, what's next for you? I know a lot of us are wondering, okay, this is, this feels like chapter three, right? There's your military career, there's UMGC career, and now it's chapter three, as you ride off into the the sunset. Well, what's next for you? As best as you can tell.
Milo Miles:
Yeah, well, in the short term, uh, we are moving out to Colorado. We've, uh, I promised my bride for almost 30 years now that someday I would build our home out in Colorado. It, it's been a dream of ours. We own some land out there, and so it has always been a. Uh, uh, a goal for us to finally do it, and I wanna do it while, you know, I'm still healthy and still, you know, feel like this is something we can do and enjoy at, at this point in our lives. So I don't wanna keep kicking that cam down the road. It's another promise that needs to be fulfilled. Uh, so that's what we're, we're gonna do. And it will take about a year to, to build the home. And so in the meantime we'll live out of an apartment. I haven't done that for, since I was a lieutenant, so that takes some adjustment. And then after everything is done, we want to travel and, uh, I will probably, uh, pick up the pen and do some writing.
Nathan James:
Milo. Um, I say this from the bottom of my heart. Just, uh, thank you. Um, thank you for everything, uh, that you've done for our country, um, for our university. Um, this is a family. Um, and so I think on behalf of the UMGC family, thank you for your example, uh, of service, uh, of compassion, of leading, uh, with humility. I. Uh, that's always been pretty much the number one word that's come to my mind to describe you in working with you anyway, right. Uh, which is humility. Um, you've inspired me and you've inspired so many others, so we appreciate you. Um, wish you the very best. Um, and thanks for being on with us today. Seriously, Milo, thank you for having me. Nathan, press on. You got it. You got it. You got it. And to everybody, uh, listening, thanks for spending time with Milo and I remember to like and subscribe if you haven't yet, uh, in order to hear more unstoppable stories. Okay. And we'll see you next time.
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