Naval service He was appointed to the
United States Naval Academy in 1907, graduating in 1911. From March 1919 to October of the same year, he served aboard the as an assistant engineer officer. Following this assignment, he headed the Electrical School at the
Mare Island Naval Shipyard. In 1933, he was attached to the
United States Asiatic Fleet. He attended the
Naval War College in 1936 and served on staff there for two years following his graduation.
Governorship McMillin served as the
naval governor of Guam from April 20, 1940, to December 10, 1941. On November 3, 1940, the worst
typhoon since 1918 hit Guam. The storm destroyed a majority of the island's crops, caused extensive damage to many military structures, and destroyed thousands of residential homes. McMillin requested $50,000 in aid from the
American Red Cross. He oversaw a major evacuation of all United States non-military citizens on the island during his term as the political situation with Japan grew more tense. In the summer of 1941, the evacuation began and was completed on October 17, 1941, with only one, the pregnant wife of the chief commissary steward, remaining. McMillin soon ordered all documents of military value be destroyed as a Japanese victory became more apparent. By 5:45 a.m., it became apparent that further resistance by American Marines would do no good, and McMillin ordered the sounding of a
car horn three times, which both sides recognized as a sign to cease fire. He was one of the first American
prisoners of war held by the Japanese and was held until August 20, 1945, when
Red Army forces freed him.
Prisoner of war After his capture on Guam, McMillin spent the rest of World War II as a
prisoner of war at various
Japanese POW camps. He was initially brought to a prison camp on
Taiwan. Soon after his internment began,
Dōmei Tsushin interviewed McMillin in a camp located on
Shikoku. They reported that he supposedly seemed "chipper" and expressed his wish that President
Franklin Roosevelt know that Guam had been "valiantly" defended. Eventually the Japanese transferred him to the
Zentsūji camp, where he was the oldest prisoner at fifty-four. In June 1949, McMillin retired from the Navy as a
rear admiral. He served during four conflicts: World War I, the
occupation of the Dominican Republic, the
United States occupation of Veracruz, and World War II. He was postmaster of Long Beach, Calif., for eight years after his retirement. == Personal life ==