Obituary: A WWII POW, Milam had patriotism in his blood
Web Posted: 02/20/2008 09:52 PM CST
Michelle De La Rosa
Express-News
Scott Milam spent 2½ years as a prisoner of war during World War II, but the experience didn't deter him from signing up for more service to his country.
Milam, a descendent of historical figure Benjamin R. Milam, went on to serve in the national and state guards after returning to the United States at the end of the war in 1945.
"He just loved this country," said his son Thomas Milam. "That was his life."
Scott Milam died Monday. He was 94.
Milam's San Antonio roots have been traced back to one of the most celebrated figures of the Battle of Bexar, the conflict that led to the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. Scott Milam's brother, Ben Milam, said his family is descended from Jefferson Milam, nephew of Texas patriot Benjamin Milam.
In the latter part of his life, Scott Milam took pleasure in yard work, Dallas Cowboys games and Toby Keith concerts. He was a big fan of the country singer, his son said.
But he never forgot his ordeal as a prisoner of war. He shared hundreds of stories about it with his wife of 63 years, Mary Gay Milam, who died in 2001,and his three children.
He was a first sergeant in the Army when he was captured in Salerno, Italy.
Thomas Milam recalled one of many stories his father told, this one about a near-death experience during an American attack on the Germans. Milam and fellow prisoners were locked in a boxcar awaiting transfer to another camp.
"They were freaking out," Thomas Milam said. "They were locked in this boxcar and couldn't get out, and they just knew that was the end, but every one of the bombs missed the boxcar."
Milam, a talented artist, kept a scrapbook of drawings documenting his time in captivity. On Wednesday, Thomas Milam and his two siblings flipped through the book and came across a drawing of Santa Claus with his head in the clouds.
There is barbed wire in the foreground. And the words:
"Xmas in Stalag II B."
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Obituary: A WWII POW, Milam had patriotism in his blood
For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman
