4 | Saturday, November 9, 2024
HONORING OUR VETERANS
Veteran and model maker makes U.S. Naval history come alive Visitors will be able to see model in North Platte
Though each model Miller makes is more complex than the last, the USS Missouri features an electric system he designed himself which allows the turrets on the ship to move, lights to flash mimicking Morse code and even the ability to be driven using a re- mote control — which Miller said his friend wants to test out on a lake next year. Miller said he uses both parts from model making kits, pieces he buys separately and some he makes himself for the ships. But the hardest part of the USS Mis- souri, he said, was the electron- ics, which he had to learn the C programming language for. “When you make model ships like this, it’s just really one chal- lenge after the next,” Miller said. “You leap one hurdle and go and then you get to the next one.” Each ship is carefully built with an eye for detail, right down to the portholes, flags, turrets and hull. “I tried to do the best that I can, to be as authentic to the ship as possible within my abilities, and to learn about them myself,” Miller said. Stacks of life rafts can even be seen on the deck of the USS Mis- souri model since the ship itself didn’t have many lifeboats. This is because many of the boats re- quired cranes to get them off the battleship and into the water. “If your ship is sinking, you’d have to operate a crane to lift the boat, put it over the side, get the guys in and go. Didn’t happen,” he said. “So what you will find are these stacks and stacks of life
rafts all over this thing, so if the ship were to go down, the life rafts just float.” One ship even features a form of camouflage used by the Navy called “dazzle” which was an ab- stract paint job used to confuse enemies as they tried to sight on the ship. “By the time (the Missouri) comes out, it has radar, radar, ra- dar,” Miller said, pointing to the places on the ship where radars would have been. “Visual doesn’t matter anymore because you can see it on radar. That’s part of the presentation history to indicate change, and that all changed in a three-year period of time.” Down to the smallest details, each model is expertly crafted and holds a wealth of informa- tion about the history and evo- lution of the U.S. Naval fleet. Eventually, Miller said he wants to complete his Navy ship collec- tion, but for now they will find a temporary home at the Prairie Arts Center, where Miller will also be to answer questions and give group tours of his hard work and dedication. “When you go through and you’re making these, you’re so involved with the detail, that when it’s done, you get to see the big picture and you just go ‘wow,’” Miller said. “And it’s hard to be- lieve that you actually made that. When it all comes together it’s like I can’t believe I can make that, and what could I do better next time? that’s why I say every model has been a progression, one to the next.”
CAITLYN THOMAS Caitlyn.thomas@lee.net
Boasting a 51-year career, the USS Missouri initially launched from the Naval Shipyard in Brook- lyn in 1944. It was on that battleship’s deck that Japan surrendered, bringing World War II to an end on Sept. 2, 1945. While the ship itself rests in the heart of Pearl Harbor where it has been since 1992, visitors will be able to see an almost exact model at the Prairie Arts Center in North Platte — complete with a gold coin indicating the spot where the war was brought to a close. Model maker and U.S. Navy veteran Andy Miller was an elec- trical technician first class for the Navy before becoming an electri- cal technician chief for the Na- tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Following his time at NOAA, Miller became an electronic sys- tem administrator for the National Weather Service, which brought him to North Platte, where he cur- rently sits on the board of direc- tors for the Prairie Arts Center. His exhibit, named “Alpha and Omega Battleships” runs until Nov. 30, with a special artist’s re- ception on Veteran’s Day. A total of four model ships will be on display, three battleships
CAITLYN THOMAS , THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
Andy Miller and his “assistant” Java work on the inside of the USS Missouri. The top part of the battleship has been taken off, and the wiring inside can be seen.
and one destroyer: the USS Mis- souri, USS Arizona, USS Enter- prise and the USS Pennsylvania. Additionally, three branches of the U.S. military will be repre- sented. Miller’s family has a long history of service to the U.S., starting with his great-great- grandfather who was a private in the Union Army during the Civil War. Both of Miller’s parents served during World War II, his father in the Navy and his mother as a ser- geant in the Marine Corps. While his father was home on liberty from the Navy, Miller said he and his mom met in a train on the Pacific Coast. “WWII brought them together,” he said.
As part of the exhibit, Miller will have his mother’s complete 1943 U.S. Marine Corps. uniform on display, as well as his father’s WWII Pacific theater congratu- lations letter from Adm. William Halsey. The tradition of serving carries on with Miller’s son Marcus, who is currently in the Navy. “There’s nothing quite like it,” Miller said. “Because (my son) has now got the same certificate that my father had, the same one I have, which is crossing the equa- tor on a U.S. ship, a commissioned ship … and that’s that link that brings us all together.” It was with his son that Miller built his first model ship and he found his passion.
WE HONOR VETERANS
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