Lewis L. Millett | |
|---|---|
 Millett in 1985 | |
| Birth name | Lewis Lee Millett |
| Born | December 15, 1920 Mechanic Falls, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | November 14, 2009 (aged 88) Loma Linda, California, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States Canada |
| Branch | |
| Service years |
|
| Rank | Colonel |
| Units | |
| Wars | |
| Awards | |
Lewis Lee Millett Sr. (December 15, 1920 – November 14, 2009) was a United States Army officer who received the Medal of Honor during the Korean War for leading the last major American bayonet charge.
He enlisted in the U.S. National Guard while still in high school and then in 1940 joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. When he thought that the United States would not participate in World War II he deserted and went to Canada with a friend where they joined the Canadian Army and were sent to London. He served briefly with the Canadian Forces in London but soon transferred to the U.S. Army, which had since joined the war. While serving with the Army in World War II, he received a Silver Star for driving a burning ammunition truck away from a group of soldiers before it exploded.
During the Korean War, he was awarded the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. The citation explains that he successfully led a bayonet charge against the enemy. He later served in the Vietnam War as well. He retired from the Army in 1973 and died of congestive heart failure in 2009.