Soldier Fights For Life On Medical Battlefield

BOSTON -- In a cramped corner of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, while receiving his chemotherapy, Army Spc. Scott Miller was promoted to sergeant in the Massachusetts National Guard Wednesday morning. The ceremony was led by the Guard's Adjutant General.

Soldier Promoted During Cancer Treatment

"All of us are praying for a miracle. We're praying that this battle that he is fighting today will be as victorious as the battle he fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom," said Maj. Gen. Joseph Carter.

Miller, 34, is fighting a battle against advanced colon cancer that has spread to his liver. It was diagnosed a month ago while serving in Iraq, where he was part of a military police squad.

"I'm hanging in there. I'm a soldier's wife and we're gonna tackle this," said his wife, Alex Miller.

Miller's commanding officer and his unit in Iraq shared in the ceremony via cell phone. There were at least a dozen other National Guard members at Dana-Farber.

"It's awesome. The National Guard, it's a big family. Whenever someone's in trouble as in a situation like mine, everyone steps in," said Miller.

"The family in Iraq is as important as the family here at Dana-Farber. And he's getting as much support 65-hundred miles away as you heard on the phone as he is here. That will continue until he beats this," said Sgt. Alex Puopolo, who served with Miller in Iraq.

Newscenter 5's Amalia Barreda reported the soldier's battleplan is to follow a course of aggressive cancer treatments at Dana-Farber, where his wife can be at his side. For seven of the eight months they have been married, Miller served his country overseas.