Doris Miller

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Doris Miller
October 12, 1919(1919-10-12) – November 24, 1943 (aged 24)

Nickname	"Dorie"
Place of birth	Waco, Texas
Place of death	Gilbert Islands, South Pacific
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	4
Rank	Cook 3rd Class
Battles/wars	World War II Attack on Pearl Harbor Battle of Tarawa *Operation Galvanic
Awards	Navy Cross Purple Heart American Defense Service Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal

Doris "Dorie" Miller (October 12, 1919 – November 24, 1943) was an African American cook in the United States Navy and a hero who went above and beyond the call of duty during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the third highest honor awarded by the US Navy at the time, after the Medal of Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.^[1]

1 Early life and career
2 The Attack on Pearl Harbor
3 World War II
4 Popular culture
5 Memorials
6 References
7 Further reading
8 External links

[edit] Early life and career

Miller was born in Waco, Texas, on October 12, 1919, to Henrietta and Connery Miller. He was the third of four sons and grew up in a strong and loving household. He enjoyed playing with his brothers but was also a considerate child. He often helped around the house, cooking meals and doing laundry, as well as working the fields. Miller was a good student and a fullback on the football team at Waco's A.J. Moore High School. They called him the "Raging Bull" because of his size (5 ft 9 in, over 200 lb).

He worked on his father's farm until enlisting in the United States Navy as Mess Attendant, Third Class in September 1939.^[2] Following training at the Naval Training Station, Norfolk, Virginia, Miller was assigned to the ammunition ship USS Pyro where he served as a Mess Attendant, and on 2 January 1940 was transferred to USS West Virginia, where he became the ship's heavyweight boxing champion. In July of that year he had temporary duty aboard USS Nevada at Secondary Battery Gunnery School. He returned to the USS West Virginia on 3 August 1941.^[3]

[edit] The Attack on Pearl Harbor

Miller awoke at 6:00 A.M. and was collecting laundry when the alarm for general quarters was sounded. He headed for his battle station, the antiaircraft battery magazine amidship, only to discover that torpedo damage had wrecked it. He went on deck where he was assigned to carry wounded fellow sailors to safer locations. When Captain Mervyn Bennion was injured by a bomb splinter, an officer ordered Miller to the bridge to help in the effort to move him to a place of relative safety. Miller picked him up and attempted to carry him to a first-aid station; the Captain refused to leave his post and remained on the bridge until his death.

When directed to assist in loading a pair of unattended Browning .50 caliber anti-aircraft guns, Miller took control of one and began firing at the Japanese planes, even though he had no training in operating the weapon. He fired the gun until he ran out of ammunition. Japanese aircraft eventually dropped two armor piercing bombs through the deck of the battleship and launched 5 × 18 in (457 mm) aircraft torpedoes into her port side. Heavily damaged by the ensuing explosions, and suffering from severe flooding below decks, the West Virginia slowly settled to the harbor bottom as her crew - including Miller - abandoned ship.^[1]

[edit] World War II

Miller speaking with sailors and a civilian at Naval Station Great Lakes, January 7, 1943

Miller’s rank was raised to Mess Attendant First Class on June 1. On June 27, The Pittsburgh Courier called for Miller to be allowed to return home for a war bond tour like white heroes. The following November 23, Miller arrived at Pearl Harbor, and was ordered on a war bond tour while still attached to USS Indianapolis. In December and January he gave talks in Oakland, California, in his hometown of Waco, Texas, in Dallas, and to the first graduating class of African-American sailors from Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Chicago.

The Pittsburgh Courier continued to hammer to return Miller for a war bond tour in the February 6, 1943 issue. The caption to Miller’s photo read, "He fought...Keeps Mop", while another hero of Pearl Harbor got a commission. It said that Miller was "too important waiting tables in the Pacific to return him", even though he was already on tour.

Doris Miller reported for duty at Puget Sound Navy Yard on May 15, 1943. His rank was again raised to Officer’s Cook Third Class on 1 June (although some sources, including the Naval Historical Center's website erroneously identify him as a "ship's" cook), and he reported to USS Liscome Bay, an escort aircraft carrier. After training in Hawaii for the Gilbert Islands operation, the Liscome Bay participated in the Battle of Tarawa beginning November 20. On November 24, a single torpedo from Japanese submarine I-175 struck the escort carrier near the stern. The aircraft bomb magazine detonated a few moments later, sinking the warship within minutes. There were 242 survivors. The rest of the crew was listed as "presumed dead". On December 7, 1943, Mr. and Mrs. Connery Miller were notified their son was "Missing in Action."

A memorial service was held on April 30, 1944, at the Waco, Texas, Second Baptist Church, sponsored by the Victory Club. On May 28, a granite marker was dedicated at Moore High School to honor Miller. On November 25, 1944, the Secretary of the Navy announced that Miller was "presumed dead."^[1]

[edit] Popular culture

Poster featuring Doris Miller

Miller's face adorned the U.S. Navy recruiting poster "above and beyond the call of duty". In 1942, Miller's actions were dramatized on the CBS radio series They Live Forever. He was portrayed by Elven Havard in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora!, and in 2001 he was portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the film Pearl Harbor.

In 2007, the historian Bill O'Neal published Doris Miller: Hero of Pearl Harbor.

[edit] Memorials

USS Miller (FF-1091) a Knox-class frigate was commissioned on 30 June 1973 in honor of Miller.
The Doris Miller Foundation was founded in 1947, to give an annual award to the individual or group considered outstanding in the field of race relations.
The Bachelor Enlisted Quarters at Great Lakes Naval Base was dedicated to Miller’s memory on 7 December 1971.
A monument dedicated to Miller is at the Waco Veterans Medical Center, Waco, Texas
Doris Miller Drive - located at the Waco Veterans Medical Center
Dorie Miller Center - A former shopping center located in San Antonio, Texas
Dorie Miller Houses - A housing co-operative complex located in Corona, New York
Dorie Miller Elementary School - located in San Antonio, Texas
Dorie Miller Elementary School - located in San Diego, California
Doris Miller Elementary School - located in Waco, Texas
Doris Miller YMCA - located in Waco, Texas
Doris Miller Junior High School - located in San Marcos, Texas
Doris Miller Auditorium - located in Austin, TX
Doris Miller Community Center - A recreation facility located in Newport News, Virginia
Doris Miller Park - a housing community for junior officers located at Pearl Harbor
Doris Miller Post 915 - an American Legion post located in Chicago www.doriemiller915.org
Dorie Miller Chapter 14 - a Disabled American Veterans Chapter located in Washington, D.C.
On October 11, 1991, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated dedicated a bronze commemorative plaque of Miller at the Miller Family Park located on the U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor.
Doris Miller Memorial - A planned memorial in Waco, Texas.
Dorie Miller Park - Lewisburg, West Virginia