Sterling man saw action as paratrooper

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John "Jack" McMillin

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Note to readers: This is the third in a series of Sauk Valley Newspapers articles on some of the World War II veterans who are going to Washington, D.C., Nov. 10 on the Whiteside County Honor Flight.

STERLING – John “Jack” McMillin, 85, of Sterling, remembers Tokyo Rose, serving in the Philippines and Okinawa, and parachuting into the midst of gunfire.

He will be among the 37 World War II military veterans from Whiteside County traveling via Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., on Nov. 10.

McMillin was a buck sergeant with three stripes during World War II. He says he recalls the good times more than the bad.

“The Japanese people were really duped,” he said. “They didn’t know how big the world really was, and their leaders weren’t about to tell them. Once they were scattered out, we took care of them.”

Not a bad feat for troops who initially trained with broomsticks because they didn’t have rifles, McMillin said.

The former paratrooper enlisted in the Army in 1943 and left the military in 1947. He joined the Army Airborne, led a platoon and made 17 jumps during his military career, but only two were into combat situations.

“I heard I could earn $50 more a month as a paratrooper, so I said ‘why not,’” McMillin said. “What they didn’t tell me was that first I had to go through basic training and then I had to make five practice jumps before I started getting the extra pay. It took about six months before I started seeing that money.”

There were a lot of casualties among the troops, but mostly from malaria and dysentery, he said.

Some of his fondest memories were of listening to the music played by the Japanese-American radio star, Tokyo Rose.

“She played all of the music the U.S. military personnel liked,” he said. “I liked listening to her show.”

She often surprised them with her knowledge of their movements.

“We were sent into New Guinea to fight the [Japanese],” McMillin recalled. “No one was supposed to know where we were, but she comes on the radio and says, ‘Welcome 11th Airborne.’ We don’t know how she did it, but somehow, she knew.”

McMillin returned to his Chicago neighborhood when he left the service in 1947. There, while attending the wedding of one of his military buddies, he met his future wife, Ann.

“We had grown up in the same neighborhood and gone to the same schools, but we didn’t meet until then,” he said. “Her brother married my sister. And guess what?: One year and one day later, we got married.”

The couple moved to Sterling 40-some years ago and raised their 8 children here. Ann established a family therapy practice, the McMillin Learning Center, and Jack set up a thriving real estate business, managed Northland Mall for several years, and has been a member of the Whiteside County Board for 31 years.

“Our son, Tim, is escorting me on the Honor Flight trip,” said McMillin, who is now going through chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. “We’ll be hooking up with two other sons. One works for NASA and the other works at a university out there. It should be a lot of fun.”

When he returns to Sterling, McMillin will resume the greatest battle of his life.

“I’ve aways kept in touch with the guys from my company. There are only three of the 150 of us left. They must not be doing too well. I don’t hear from them as often as I used to,” he said.

“The doctors tell me they’re always hoping to find something that stops cancer in its tracks,” he said. “Let’s hope they do. I’m not ready to leave just yet.”

The Honor 
Flight file

John “Jack” McMillin

Age: 85

City: Sterling

Branch: Army Airborne

Rank: Sergeant

Theaters: South Pacific

Terms of service: January 1943 to January 1947

Employment: McMillin owned a real estate business, managed Northland Mall for several years, and has been a member of the Whiteside County Board for 31 years.

To donate

To help send a World War II veteran to Washington on an Honor Flight, send donations to United Way of Whiteside County, 502 First Ave.; the Sauk Valley Chamber of Commerce, 211 Locust St.; the American Legion, 601 First Ave.; or Ward, Murray, Pace and Johnson, 202 E. Fifth St., all in Sterling, IL 61081.

Make out checks to Honor Flight of the Quad Cities.

For more information, go to www.honorflightqc.org online.

Click to view The Vets of Honor Flight main page

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