Finding Heaven Under the Big Sky
Scott Miller
Bridger, MT
Photography by Stu Hoefle and Contributed by Scott Miller
Tenderhearted and compassionate, yet relentless and determined, Scott Miller loves getting to the heart of the matter, whether it’s a friend in turmoil, or a community in crisis. With Montana’s betterment in mind, his boundless energy allows him to work long hours, with little sleep, and put thousands of miles on his truck, better known as his “office,” as he traverses the state.
Scott is a highly decorated Army Command Sergeant Major, who served for 25 years before retiring to his hometown of Fromberg and settling on his ranch outside of Bridger with his wife Christine. The fourth generation Montanan is also a Carbon County commissioner. His patriotic, service-centered heart is a product of a long line of patriots – his father served in Vietnam and his grandfather served in WWII.
“It’s how I am,” Scott said. “I guess it’s in my blood, but it was modeled for me, especially by my grandfather, Herman Shanks.”
Herman had a profound impact on Scott as he embodied values, character and how to treat others.
“I saw how Grampa and a small group of his friends talked and cared for each other,” Scott said. “They were all Veterans. They were respected by others because of the respect they had for each other, and I was drawn to that.”
Scott’s grandfather taught him the value of a solid handshake and how to look someone in the eye. As he shared stories of the family’s history with Scott, he encouraged him to believe in himself.
“If you don’t know your past, you don’t have a base to build your future,” Scott said. “Understanding that helped me become the leader I became in the Army.”
He believes that being disciplined and working hard grew out of his roots being raised on a ranch.
“The disciplined life of the military wasn’t hard for me to adapt to after having grown up ranching,” he said. “I was used to getting up early and working hard all day. It fit me. It prepared me to do big things with my life.”
Scott climbed the military ranks and earned the respect of the men he led. He believed, as he’d been taught, to earn respect, he must offer it.
“Every person in the military is someone’s child. I didn’t believe in destroying them or calling them names,” he said. “I called them what they are, and they became that.”
His leadership skills earned him the top rank of Sergeant Major, the highest non-commissioned office in the Army. Scott was chosen from the top 1 percent of 1 percent of the million in the military. He rose to the position, not because of his ranking, but because of his experience.
His tours of combat included Panama, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where he jumped out of airplanes, trekked across deserts, and spent 74 months in active combat duty, mostly in special forces.
“I was laying on the ground, bullets were flying by, and I saw this medallion stuck in the rocks. Here I was fighting for my life in a Muslim country, and I find this reminder of Who is in control. It was miraculous. It’s tattooed on my arm as a continual reminder.”
Naturally, it took a toll on Scott and his family. While stationed in Panama, Scott met his wife who was also serving in the military. Christine resigned after they married and, as with many military wives, shouldered the responsibility of raising their three children. Following Scott from base to base, she and the kids were often left without him for months and even years on end.
“It’s hard on families for sure,” Scott said. “Most everyone in the military leaves with some amount of PTSD, it’s inevitable. We’ve been trained in combat and when we return to civilian life, well, it’s hard.”
Scott dealt with PTSD. Before retiring, he joined an equine therapy program for veterans. Because horses relate well to people, and it’s been scientifically proven a horse can mirror human emotions, they have been used successfully in the healing of individuals suffering from PTSD and other ailments. With time, the horse becomes a safe place and healing begins. And such was Scott’s experience.
“It changed who I was. I didn’t want to be Sergeant Major Miller, I just wanted to be Scott,” he said with tear-filled eyes. “In order to heal, you have to open up your wounds, but you have to have the tools to close them, too. I have no idea where I would be without equine therapy. I’d seen so much bad and hate. But I can honestly say, I haven’t been happier since.”
His therapy allowed him to leave trauma in the past and approach the future with positivity and hope.
“Life isn’t so bad,” he said. “We can get through it.”
That attitude rang true a year ago when Fromberg and the entire Clark’s Fork Valley was experiencing historic flooding.
“That was tough on folks,” Scott said. “But thankfully, we didn’t lose any lives and we got back up and got going again.”
With Scott’s determination, his region of the county saw roads, canals and bridges rebuilt within days and weeks of the flooding instead of months and years.
“We didn’t wait around for permits,” Scott said. “We got to work. Ranchers needed to get to their livestock, farmers needed to tend to their crops and kids needed to be able to ride the bus to school. I’m a logical person and I deal in facts and reality. I fought for our country for 25 years with a rifle, now I fight with words.”
Scott’s active in the American Legion and the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and he’s an instructor with one of Montana’s Herd 2 Human Programs, a non-profit equine therapy program serving Veterans with PTSD.
“I know I can make a difference in other people’s lives,” he said. “So why wouldn’t I try?”
Scott wears his emotions on his sleeve, but under his sleeves are reminders of his past. On his left arm are military tattoos and on his right are tattoos representing his faith. On his forearm is a cross inside a medallion designed after one he found in combat.
“I was laying on the ground, bullets were flying by, and I saw this medallion stuck in the rocks,” he said. “Here I was fighting for my life in a Muslim country, and I find this reminder of Who is in control. It was miraculous. It’s tattooed on my arm as a continual reminder.”
Scott’s plans are not certain after his county commissioner career, but with his servant’s heart, and his love of Montana and America, he’s sure to serve somewhere. One thing he is certain of is that his future holds rodeoing with the PRCA circuit.
“I just want to smile and have fun,” he said. “Maybe do some steer wrestling. I love horses and people, so we’ll see. I don’t want to be 80 and look back wishing I would have done something that I didn’t do.”
