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ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – A U.S. Army civilian master aviator completed almost four decades of service to the Army during his last flight at Phillips Army Airfield on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, June 30.
Gary E. Miller, a retired Army civilian master aviator from the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Analytical and Remediation Activity (CARA), accumulated more than 7,500 flight hours while serving as a uniformed and Army civilian aviator.
Over the course of his 25-year uniformed U.S. Army career, Miller served in a variety of aviation roles, accumulating extensive flight time and experience across multiple airframes, including the UH-1 Huey, AH-1 Cobra, UH-60 Black Hawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopters. Miller is also certified in the C-12U and C-12J2 fixed-wing aircraft.
Miller enlisted in the Maryland Army National Guard in 1981 as AH-1 Cobra helicopter mechanic. He was later selected for U.S. Army Flight School and earned his Army Aviator wings in 1988.
He retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 in 2006. Miller then became an Army civilian and managed the Army aviation program and flight operations as the Phillips Army Airfield Manager.
Miller joined CARA Aviation in 2011, where he served in multiple roles, culminating in his position as chief pilot where he managed flight operations, pilot training and aircrew standardization for a diverse mission set.
“His tenure was marked by an unwavering commitment to safety, operational excellence and mentorship of junior aviators,” said Christopher J. Hurst, a U.S. Army civilian pilot at CARA and retired Army chief warrant officer 5. “His legacy is defined by professionalism, expertise across multiple airframes and a deep commitment to the aviation community.”
Army civilian pilots from the CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity are the only aviators in the U.S. military authorized to transport chemical surety material off military installations. CARA pilots have an extensive training and certification process to escort chemical surety material as part of the Department of Defense Personnel Reliability Program (PRP).
An Army civilian activity, CARA maintains organic airlift capabilities with Army civilian pilots who are dual rated to fly both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.
Hurst said surety missions support the readiness of American forces and protect the homeland from WMD threats.
“Moving surety material across the United States directly supports future warfighting capabilities in the CBRNE arena,” said Hurst.
Collectively, CARA pilots have flown missions in 39 countries and have more than 18 deployments. With more than 150 years of collective military aviation experience, the CARA civilian pilots have a combined 28,000 flight hours with an average of more than 5,600 flight hours per pilot.
CARA also supports remediation missions at Formerly Used Defense Sites and conducts emergency responses, overseas and stateside, to characterize and assess Recovered Chemical Warfare Materiel.
Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity is part of the 20th CBRNE Command, the U.S. military’s premier multifunctional and deployable CBRNE formation.
From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command confront and defeat the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.
Franz J. Amann, the CARA director, said Army civilian pilots like Miller are the key to CARA’s mission success. Since not many Army pilots are dual rated to fly both helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, CARA pilots bring critical skill sets to the organization, said Amann.
“Our highly experienced CARA Aviation team safely transports surety materiel to designated research facilities,” said Amann. “The delivered chemical agent is critical to accurately test the effectiveness and survivability of the CBRN personal protective equipment. This testing provides our warfighters the confidence that they can fight and survive in a contaminated environment.”
“Our Army pilots bring a wealth of experience to this organization and keep us ready to conduct our critical missions,” said Amann, a retired U.S. Army Chemical Corps colonel from Spartanburg, South Carolina.
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.31.2025 15:41 |
| Story ID: | 544427 |
| Location: | ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND, US |
| Hometown: | SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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