The nation now knows Col. Jeffrey B. Miller as the charismatic, grace-under-pressure leader who has kept the entire country briefed on the tragedy in Lancaster County. If it were not for his dogged will to "get it right" as he displayed to media professionals this week, it is likely that the Colonel never would have been a Pennsylvania State Trooper, let alone the agency's commissioner. Here's why:
Miller took the State Police Exam four times before being accepted into the academy. In an interview in Harrisburg last year, he said he scored well on the exams, but there were so many good candidates vying for spots in the academy, that it was extremely difficult to get in. Then in 1984, he took the Baltimore Civil Service exam and did well. So, well, in fact, they offered him a job immediately. He accepted. Days later, the PA State Police called to notify him that he had been accepted into the academy 56th Cadet Class. After a whopping two-minute deliberation, the Harrisburg native opted to stay home.
We're glad you did, Colonel!