The soldiers came Thursday and praised a man who died caring for his brothers.
From the commanding general of Marine special forces to a senior chief hospital corpsman, Luke Milam was honored for being a “warrior” who fought bravely in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the 6-foot-4 Milam was far more than a Navy corpsman who became an excellent combat soldier, they said. He was also an exceptional human being driven by compassion.
And in a Littleton church, several hundred people learned Thursday why Milam was so compassionate.
On April 20, 1999, Milam, a senior at Columbine High School, lost his buddy, Isaiah Shoels.
Milam usually ate lunch in the high school cafeteria and went to the library to study. But on that day, he changed his pattern and left school at lunchtime to take care of a sick dog at home.
“Luke was devastated by the shooting and the loss of his good friend and workout partner Isaiah Shoels,” his friend Rusty West said. “After attending Isaiah’s memorial service, Luke came home, sat in the dark with his mom and cried, saying that he was done going to memorial services and talking about the shooting,” West said at Milam’s funeral at Littleton United Methodist Church.
West said Milam vowed to go into the Navy, become a corpsman and prepare himself to help others so “he would never be in that position again,” West said.
Milam was killed Sept. 25 during a battle between U.S.-led coalition and Taliban forces near the city of Musa Qula, an opium-poppy growing area of Afghanistan.
And Thursday, Maj. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, the commanding general of Marine special forces, told Luke’s parents, sister and two brothers how Milam was always there for his fellow soldiers.
Hejlik had gotten to know Milam in Iraq.
The general had first seen Milam and his platoon when they walked into a tent following three days of fierce combat.
They dropped their gear with a thud, sat down for some chow, but before they took a bite, the men grasped hands and “gave thanks to the Lord,” Hejlik said.
In Iraq, Milam was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery after his platoon came under attack. He pulled injured soldiers from burning vehicles, arranged a defensive perimeter and fought off the attackers, Hejlik said.
“God bless you for your son,” Hejlik told the Milam family. “We can never replace him. I knew Luke personally. He was an absolutely marvelous guy. He was huge, and he was humble.”
Ken George, a senior chief medical hospital corpsman who had known Milam throughout his career, said that Milam “was loved by everyone out of respect for him as a person first, as a proficient warrior and, more importantly, as a brother.”
“Luke was special – a special son, brother, friend. A special sailor, a special American, a special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman,” George said.
“We love you, brother.”
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
