Roll of Honor
Morley Lester Miller
Incident
Pilot Morley Miller and Patrol Officer John Hollingsworth were killed in a helicopter accident approximately 1/2-mile west of Fort Stockton, Texas, while on a patrol flight at 12:11 pm. The helicopter was heading south from Fort Stockton when the helicopter started backfiring. Pilot Miller maneuvered the chopper over a field away from the manufacturing plant and people. He had gained control when the helicopter shot up in the air and then came straight down. The tail landed first and burst into flames. Two state troopers and a citizen tried to pull the officers out of the wreckage, but it was too late. Pilot Miller was credited with saving the lives of the plant workers. Pilot Miller had served in law enforcement for a total of 22 years. He had served with the U.S. Customs Service for ten years and had previously served with the U.S. Border Patrol for five years and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for seven years. He was survived by his wife, four children, and one grandchild. He was buried in the Desert Lawn Memorial Park in Palmdale, California.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, four children, and one grandchild.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-99B04DD7- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
22 years. You could have gone home.
Pilot Miller gave the United States Department of the Treasury 22 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Pilot Miller.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Pilot Morley Lester Miller is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In DC, 454 of 1,419 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service, 44 of 94 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 46.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Morley Lester Miller's cause is highlighted.
How Morley Lester Miller Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Morley Lester Miller is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
93 officers from United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
