Wheaton North High renames area for fallen soldier

As expected, Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 officials have renamed an area at Wheaton North High School to honor one of its fallen graduates.

The commons area at the school will now be known as the Robert J. Miller Commons Area, after the alum who died Jan. 25, 2008, in the war in Afghanistan.

Miller was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by U.S. President Barack Obama Oct. 6, 2010.

The area will be dedicated during the school district's Veterans Day activities next month.

In October, a seven-member committee recommended the move to the board, after a lengthy process to determine how to honor the 2002 graduate.

Miller was killed in a firefight with Taliban forces.

Despite being wounded, he continued to advance, firing at the enemy and hurling grenades along the way.

The move was made Wednesday with little discussion after a consensus was reached last month that the move would be made.

Board member Ken Knicker reiterated his position from last month that the renaming and subsequent curriculum additions that will emphasize the six Medal of Honor pillars in the school's social studies classes are proper ways to honor Miller.