| Dorie Miller is a part of US Black history. Join: US Black Heritage Project Discuss: black_heritage |
Doris "Dorie" Miller was a U.S. Navy sailor who was the first African-American to be awarded the Navy's highest award, the Navy Cross, for his valor when his ship was attacked during Pearl Harbor. Dorie was later killed in action when his ship was sunk in 1943. Efforts are underway to upgrade his award to the Medal of Honor, the highest in the United States.
Doris "Dorie" Miller was born on 12 Oct 1919 in Waco, Texas, United States. His parents were Conery Miller and Henrietta Murray.[1] He grew up in McLennan County, Texas where his father worked as a farmer.[2][3]
Dorie was serving aboard the battleship USS West Virginia when it was struck by Japanese bombers in Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec 1941. Although he was a cook and mess attendant, after helping to carry wounded men to safety below deck (he was a big fellow, and had played high school football) he did not hesitate to grab a machine gun to defend the ship when the situation called for it.[4]
For his actions, he was awarded the Navy Cross, which was presented to him by Adm. Chester Nimitz, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. He was the first African American to be so awarded.[4]
His citation reads: "For distinguished devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. While at the side of his Captain on the bridge, Miller, despite enemy strafing and bombing and in the face of a serious fire, assisted in moving his Captain, who had been mortally wounded, to a place of greater safety, and later manned and operated a machine gun directed at enemy Japanese attacking aircraft until ordered to leave the bridge."[5]
He became renowned, and was brought home in 1942 to promote war bonds. His image was used on a Navy recruiting poster. Unfortunately, he did not live past the war. He died on November 24, 1943 aboard the USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56), an escort carrier, at sea during the Battle of Makin in World War II.[1]
On 9 December 1945, the three theatre complexes on the Treasure Island Naval Base were dedicated to World War II Naval heroes who had been killed in action. Theatre One was named for Doris Miller. Broadcast nationwide on the ABC radio series Orson Welles Commentaries, the ceremonies featured Commodore Robert W. Cary, commander of the center, and Orson Welles, who interviewed family members. The three honorees were selected through a renaming contest in the base publication, The Masthead[6]
On Jan 19, 2020, the Navy said that it would name an aircraft carrier after him, the first time that an aircraft carrier has been named for an African American, and the first time a sailor has been so honored for actions taken as an enlisted man.
Many believe that Dorie's actions warranted not just the Navy Cross, but the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor. Efforts have been made as early as the 1940s to have him so recognized; and the latest as of this writing (2021) may finally lead to success.[7]
Dorie's name is inscribed on the Punchbowl Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii.[8]
See also:
Featured Asian and Pacific Islander connections: Dorie is 39 degrees from 今上 天皇, 37 degrees from Adrienne Clarkson, 39 degrees from Dwight Heine, 40 degrees from Dwayne Johnson, 38 degrees from Tupua Tamasese Lealofioaana, 34 degrees from Stacey Milbern, 34 degrees from Sono Osato, 47 degrees from 乾隆 愛新覺羅, 34 degrees from Ravi Shankar, 42 degrees from Taika Waititi, 41 degrees from Penny Wong and 30 degrees from Chang Bunker on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
Categories: Featured Military | Pearl Harbor Attack | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal | American Campaign Medal | American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp | World War II Victory Medal | Navy Good Conduct Medal | Navy Combat Action Ribbon | USS West Virginia (BB-48), United States Navy, World War II | USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56), United States Navy, World War II | Purple Heart | Operation Galvanic | Battle of Tarawa | Navy Cross | Killed in Action, United States of America, World War II | 100 Greatest African Americans | Doris Miller Memorial Park, Waco, Texas | Waco, Texas | Featured Connections Archive 2021 | Example Profiles of the Week | Featured Connections Archive 2023 | US Black Heritage Project Managed Profiles | United States Navy, World War II | African-American Notables | Notables
We are featuring this profile in the Connection Finder this week. Between now and Wednesday is a good time to take a look at the sources and biography to see if there are updates and improvements that need made, especially those that will bring it up to WikiTree Style Guide standards. We know it's short notice, so don't fret too much. Just do what you can.
Thanks!
Abby
Please include something about this in his biography. <3
edited by Melanie Paul