View source for Forrest Marion "Tim" Milas

{{Short description|Battle of Midway submariner}}
{{Draft topics|biography|north-america|military-and-warfare}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Forrest Marion “Tim” Milas
| birth_name    = Marion Miloszewski
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1924|03|15}}
| birth_place   = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2016|10|17|1924|03|15}}
| death_place   = Vallejo, California, U.S.
| nickname      = Tim
| allegiance    = United States
| branch        = United States Navy
| serviceyears  = 1941–1972
| rank          = Lieutenant commander (LDO)
| battles       = {{plainlist|
* World War II
** [[Battle of Midway]]
}}
}}

'''Forrest Marion Milas''' (March 15, 1924 – October 17, 2016), also known as '''Tim Milas''', was a career officer in the [[United States Navy]] who served for 30 years (1941–1972). He enlisted shortly before the United States entered [[World War II]] and later became a commissioned [[Limited duty officer|limited duty officer]] (LDO), retiring with the rank of [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|lieutenant commander]].<ref name="LegacyObit">{{cite web |title=Tim Milas Obituary (1924–2016) |via=Times Herald Online |website=Legacy.com|date=October 21, 2016 |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/timesheraldonline/name/tim-milas-obituary?id=15871931 |access-date=January 6, 2026}}</ref>
[[File:Lieutenant Tim Milas in United States Navy dress white uniform, c. mid-1960s.png|thumb|Lieutenant Tim Milas wearing a United States Navy dress white uniform, circa mid-1960s.]]

Milas was an enlisted submariner aboard {{USS|Gato|SS-212}} during the [[Battle of Midway]] (June 1942). A Naval Order of the United States newsletter reported that ''Gato'' was assigned to screen the U.S. task force during the battle, and quoted Milas describing the wartime submarine experience as one in which he “never saw the sun” for much of the war.<ref name="NOUS2014">{{cite web |title=Naval Order of the United States Newsletter – Summer 2014 |website=Naval Order of the United States |url=https://navalorder.squarespace.com/s/2014-Summer-NOUS-Newsletter.pdf |format=PDF |access-date=January 6, 2026 |pages=10–11}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Milas was born '''Marion Miloszewski''' on March 15, 1924, in Chicago, Illinois.<ref name="LegacyObit" /> During World War II, he legally changed his name to '''Forrest Marion Milas'''.<ref name="NOUS2014" />

== Naval career ==

=== World War II and the Battle of Midway ===
Milas enlisted in the U.S. Navy on August 1, 1941 and volunteered for submarine duty.<ref name="Medium2026">{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Tyson Christopher |title=From Midway to the Cold War: The Silent Service of Forrest Marion “Tim” Milas |website=Medium |date=January 2026 |url=https://medium.com/%40tysonsmith82/from-enlisted-sailor-to-submarine-officer-the-life-and-service-of-forrest-tim-milas-653c15c1031a?postPublishedType=repub |access-date=January 6, 2026}}</ref> By mid-1942, he was serving as an enlisted submariner aboard {{USS|Gato|SS-212}}; the Naval Order of the United States reported that ''Gato'' screened the U.S. carrier force during the [[Battle of Midway]].<ref name="NOUS2014" />

The Battle of Midway (June 4–7, 1942) is widely described as a pivotal U.S. victory in the Pacific War, in which American forces sank four Japanese aircraft carriers and shifted the strategic initiative away from Japan.<ref name="BritMidway">{{cite web |title=Battle of Midway |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |date=December 1, 2025 |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Midway |access-date=January 6, 2026}}</ref><ref name="WW2MuseumMidway">{{cite web |title=The Battle of Midway |website=The National WWII Museum |url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/battle-midway |access-date=January 6, 2026}}</ref> U.S. Navy historical commentary has also emphasized that the outcome was not simply “miracle” or chance, highlighting preparation, intelligence, and operational decisions as contributing factors.<ref name="HgramMidway">{{cite web |title=H-006-1 Midway Overview |website=Naval History and Heritage Command (U.S. Navy) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-006/h-006-1.html |access-date=January 6, 2026}}</ref>

The Naval Order newsletter further stated that Milas later experienced hearing loss that he attributed to Japanese depth-charge attacks during wartime submarine operations.<ref name="NOUS2014" />

=== Postwar and Cold War service ===
After World War II, Milas remained in naval service and continued working in the submarine community during the early Cold War period, later living in Vallejo, California, during multiple periods beginning in 1946.<ref name="LegacyObit" />

=== Commissioned service and retirement ===
Milas ultimately became a commissioned officer and retired from the Navy in 1972 as a lieutenant commander.<ref name="LegacyObit" /><ref name="Medium2026" />

== Later life ==
After retiring from active duty, Milas worked for the [[Bechtel]] Corporation.<ref name="LegacyObit" /> He was active in veterans and local heritage organizations in Vallejo, including service as a docent at St. Peter’s Chapel at [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard|Mare Island]].<ref name="LegacyObit" />

== Death ==
Milas died on October 17, 2016, at Sutter Solano Hospital in Vallejo, California.<ref name="LegacyObit" />

== See also ==
* [[Battle of Midway]]
* [[United States Navy submarines]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
<!-- The following list includes the sources provided by the requester, whether or not each is used above. -->
* {{cite web |title=American Submariner (AS2017Q1V2) |website=United States Submarine Veterans (USSVI) |url=https://ussubvets.org/Issues/AS2017Q1V2.pdf |access-date=January 6, 2026}}
* {{cite web |title=American Submariner (AS2020Q2V1) |website=United States Submarine Veterans (USSVI) |url=https://ussubvets.org/Issues/AS2020Q2V1.pdf |access-date=January 6, 2026}}
* {{cite web |title=American Submariner (2020 Issue 2) |website=University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC) |url=https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/04/07/89/00097/2020-%20Issue%202.pdf |format=PDF |access-date=January 6, 2026}}
* {{cite web |last=Lawver |first=Allen |title=Black Cat: Halsey’s Goal Keeper in the Pacific |website=Naval Submarine League (archive) |url=https://archive.navalsubleague.org/2018/black-cat-halseys-goal-keeper-in-the-pacific-by-capt-allen-lawver-usn-ret |access-date=January 6, 2026}}
* {{cite web |title=Naval Officers Union of the United States Newsletter – Autumn 2003 |website=Naval Officers Union of the United States |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55eb4805e4b0c7e05226cf5f/t/561a66fae4b01839b1bedc52/1444570874791/2003-Autumn-NOUS-Newsletter.pdf |format=PDF |access-date=January 6, 2026}}
* {{cite web |title=NERA Summer 2011 publication |website=National Electric Reliability Association |url=https://www.nera.org/pdfs/NERA-summer-2011/files/assets/common/downloads/publication.pdf |format=PDF |access-date=January 6, 2026}}
* {{cite web |title=2 from Benicia, 2 from Vallejo will join about 37 WWII veterans for special program Sunday aboard the USS Hornet |website=Times-Herald Online |date=June 17, 2011 |url=https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2011/06/17/2-from-benicia-2-from-vallejo-will-join-about-37-wwii-veterans-for-special-program-sunday-aboard-the-uss-hornet/ |access-date=January 6, 2026}}
* {{cite web |last=Sharpe |first=Robert G. |title=The Making of a Battle Flag: U.S.S. Gato (SS-212) 1941–1945 |website=TheEgg42.com |url=https://www.theegg42.com/gato/Making%20of%20the%20Gato%20Flag.pdf |format=PDF |access-date=January 6, 2026}}
* {{cite web |title=Tim Milas |website=Times-Herald Online |url=https://www.timesheraldonline.com/obituaries/tim-milas/ |access-date=January 6, 2026}}
* {{cite web |title=What is the Spirit of Midway? (Program) |website=Naval History and Heritage Command (U.S. Navy) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/browse-by-topic/commemorations/commemorations-toolkits/battle-of-midway/pdf/2010-Midway-program.pdf |format=PDF |access-date=January 6, 2026}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milas, Forrest Marion}}
{{Draft categories|
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2016 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Chicago]]
[[Category:United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:United States Navy submarine personnel]]
[[Category:American people of Polish descent]]
[[Category:World War II submariners of the United States]]}}
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