Miller, Doris 'Dorie'

Impact on the world

During the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, helped move his mortally wounded captain to safety aboard the USS West Virginia, then, despite having no prior gunnery training, manned an anti-aircraft gun and engaged attacking Japanese aircraft until ordered to stop; Admiral Chester Nimitz personally awarded him the Navy Cross in May 1942, making him the first African American to receive the decoration and prompting Nimitz to remark it was the first time 'such high tribute' had been paid in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race.

Life & background

Born in Waco, Texas, Miller enlisted in the Navy in 1939 as a mess attendant, one of the only occupational roles then open to Black sailors, and was stationed aboard the battleship USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbor. During the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack, after the ship sustained heavy damage, Miller helped carry his mortally wounded captain to a safer location, then, with no formal gunnery training, took up an unattended anti-aircraft gun and fired on attacking aircraft until ordered to leave his post. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox commended his actions, and Admiral Chester Nimitz personally presented him the Navy Cross in May 1942, making him the first African American to receive the award and the subject of a national war bond tour and a 1943 Navy recruiting poster captioned 'above and beyond the call of duty.' Despite calls from members of Congress and the Black press for Miller to receive the Medal of Honor instead, the Navy did not upgrade the award. He was reassigned to the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay, which was sunk by a Japanese torpedo during the Battle of Makin on November 24, 1943; Miller was among the roughly two-thirds of the crew killed. In one of his few public statements, he wrote that he hoped his recognition would make things 'better in the future' for the Black sailors who came after him; a Navy aircraft carrier and an escort frigate have both since been named in his honor.

Sources

1. Encyclopædia Britannica; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Military.com