Writer Ella Winter, in a 1937 discussion conversation with novelist Thomas Wolfe, said: “Don’t you know you can’t go home again?” Wolfe then asked Winter for permission to use the phrase as the title of his new novel “You Can’t Go Home Again” – published in 1940 after he died. His hometown was Asheville, NC.

Judging by the likes of Marine LtCol (Ret.) David McMillan, indeed, you can go home again.

McMillan, a native of the Carter community, has pulled tours of duty in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Japan and South Korea during 22 years in uniform. Today he’s back in Knox County for a second tour of service with Knox County Rescue (KCR). He is the KCR Chaplain and a member of two of its primary teams – Search and Rescue (SAR) and the Water Team.

Today, we’re honored to have McMillan as this week’s Our Town Hero.

McMillan first joined the rescue squad’s Explorer Post when he was 14 and a freshman at Carter High School. He was part of the Mountain Search and Rescue Team, becoming a full-time volunteer at age 18. He then became an EMT and remained a member until 1983 when he was off to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, S.C., and Marine boot camp.

His second KCRVS tour back at home began in 2023 after he finally retired from the Marine Corps and his post-Marine career, another fascinating chapter of his life, now in its 66th year.

His service with the Marines is a career well done, to say the least. While a student at the University of Tennessee (UT) he joined the Marine Corps in August 1981 and served in the Marine Reserves on Alcoa Highway as a Combat Engineer until May 1983. “The reserve status allowed me to complete my undergraduate degree, and report to Marine Officer Candidate School in Quantico in June 1983,” McMillan said.

He ultimately became part of the 3rd Infantry Division operating in Afghanistan and Kuwait in 2002 in Operation Enduring Freedom; he was the Senior Operations Officer for the Coalition Forces Land Component Commander (CFLCC). He coordinated staff functions of Battlefield Operations Systems (BOS) that included aviation, special operations forces, and air defense operations. He was the Team Leader at Bagram, Afghanistan for constructing battle operations systems. He also managed a $5 million budget in support of operations and public relations with local Afghan officials. He was the Operations Officer responsible for ground operations in Afghanistan, including strategic and operational planning, development of local partnerships in discovery and recovery of insurgent resources.

He also served as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations at the Marine Corps Mobilization Command in Kansas City, MO.

His honors include the following: the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; Navy Commendation Medal with 3 stars in lieu of 4 awards; the Navy Achievement Medal; Selective Marine Corps Reserve medal; and the National Defense Medal, among others.

McMillan graduated from UT in 1983 with a B.S. degree in Education and earned a Masters in Military Science from the Marine Corps University in Quantico, VA in 1997.

After retiring in 2003, he and his wife ended up at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, IN. He was offered the job of Assistant Director of Adult Enrollment Services at the College of Graduate Studies. He helped write content for an Associate’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. He was there for five years. Then, he came home.

Once back, he began working in Oak Ridge for the Dept. of Homeland Security.  He retained his Top Secret military clearance and worked as a Special Investigator for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, part of the Dept. of Defense. His responsibilities were handling Top Secret (Q-level) background investigations for applicants seeking or holding a Security Clearance for the Dept of Energy working at the Y-12 facility. That 13-year gig ended in 2021 when he retired the final time.

Here are a few other notes about his life:

  • He and his wife, Jill, have been married for 44 years, and his mother-in-law was the late Margie Ison of WBIR-TV, where she worked for 18 years. Ison died in 2025 of pancreatic cancer at age 84.
  • The McMillians have two daughters. Brigette Stair is a mother of four and teaches 3rd grade at Fountain City Elementary School. Her sister is Brittany Benzinger, who homeschools her two children.
  • David met Jill in 1978 during the 22-mile St. Jude Walkathon. They walked together and the next day he asked her for a date. They dated for three years, started at the University of Tennessee together and married in 1982. He graduated from UT in 1983.
  • He spent many a day working at the long-gone Helma’s Restaurant in high school and while at UT he worked part-time for UPS.
  • They are members at Lyons Creek Baptist and enjoy monthly “glamping” trips. Glamping is a fancy term for luxury camping.

This man stays busy. In 2022 he again helped with the Knox News Sentinel Empty Stocking Fund project. Once back at KCR, he was doing his volunteer work. Hurricane Helene hit in late September 2024. He was part of a KCR team that spent time in Cocke County for a day or two and then five days in upper East Tennessee that was hit hard, with lives lost and massive destruction.

“My real satisfaction comes from being able to help people and the rescue squad has unique capabilities to rescue people and recover those who didn’t survive. It’s important to me to be there to minister to the families and to our KCR team members,” he explained. “It is a special calling to be back at KCR. It’s nice to be around the old hands and meet the new people and mentor them. The rescue squad is a ministry in addition to the rescue jobs.”

As a Deacon of Lyons Creek Baptist, he chairs its Benevolence Committee, which assists those with financial problems. McMillan is the block captain for their neighborhood watch and helps with law enforcement for his community.

Stephanie Gamble serves as KCR’s Executive Director, Chief and captain of the Search and Rescue (SAR) Team. As you can imagine, she’s a big fan of their chaplain. “We are grateful for David’s years of service, his willingness to help others, and the compassion he brings to our organization. His continued commitment to serving others is incredible,” she said. “He works alongside the volunteer leadership and personnel to support families and first responders alike.”

So, Thomas Wolfe, you can go home again after all.

Tom King is a weekly contributor to KnoxTNToday, where he writes the column Our Town Hero, honoring the service of our first responders. If you have someone you think we should consider featuring, please email Tom using the link with his name or text him at 865-659-3562.

Enjoyed this article? Read more Our Town Hero columns by Tom King, sponsored by Aubrey’s Restaurants.

Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and TikTok.

Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our free newsletter. Comments may be sent to news@knoxtntoday.com.