CASUALTY  AT  SEA

Deck logs of the guided missile destroyer USS Benjamin Stoddert report that in 1972  from April until June 26, a recorded 10,476 rounds were fired, although many more were not logged or recorded due to the intense combat situations.  The ship was firing at enemy troop formations attacking ARVN troops, helping to stall and then repulse a communist thrust into South Vietnam.  Unfortunately, at 9:10am on June 26 the forward 5-inch gun mount suffered a misfire due to a hot barrel which left a live round hung up in the barrel.  Sadly, as efforts were made to extract the live shell it exploded, killing two crewmembers outright and mortally wounding two others who later died of their injuries.  Departing immediately for Subic Bay, the ship spent the next month in port replacing the wrecked gun mount and repairing damage which had occurred in nearby living spaces.

Unfortunately, GMG1 Robert Thomas Mills was in the gun mount when the explosion occurred and was instantaneously killed by the blast.  He has been laid to eternal rest at Avon Centre Cemetery in Grayslake, Illinois.  He was survived by his parents who lived in Clearlake Highlands, California, and his wife and two sons who lived in Round Lake, Illinois.

In May 2001 his widow wrote the following tribute which appears on the internet:

I am the widow of "Red" Mills.  He was a character who lit up my life.  He will always be a hero to me.  I know that he tried his best to ensure that his shipmates would be safe from the explosion.  Unfortunately, even his best was not good enough.  He loved the Navy.  It was his life.  He was so excited to go over and do his duty.  He had a sense that he wasn't coming back.  He had said good-bye to his grandparents, parents, sister, and the rest of his relatives.  He had two sons, the youngest was 18 months old when his dad left.  He died at the same age as his father on October 27, 1999.  They are lying side by side for eternity.  I miss them both.  Both of them served their country during times of "conflict".  His son served in Desert Storm and won the Bronze Star.

        /s/ Janet M. Mills

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)