Doris Miller

For other uses, see Doris Miller (disambiguation).

Doris Miller
Miller wearing his Navy Cross in May 1942
Nickname(s)"Dorie"
Born(1919-10-12)October 12, 1919
Waco, Texas, U.S.
DiedNovember 24, 1943(1943-11-24) (aged 24)
USS Liscome Bay, off Makin Atoll, Gilbert and Ellice Islands
Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch United States Navy
Years of service1939–1943
RankCook Petty Officer Third Class
Service number356-12-35
Unit
Battles / warsWorld War II
Awards

Doris "Dorie" Miller (October 12, 1919 – November 24, 1943) was a U.S. Navy sailor who was the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross and a nominee for the Medal of Honor. As a mess attendant second class[1][2] in the United States Navy, Miller helped carry wounded sailors to safety during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He then manned an anti-aircraft gun[3] and, despite no prior training in gunnery, officially shot down one plane (according to Navy Department Records), but Miller and other eye witnesses claimed the ranges of four to six.[4]

Miller received the Navy Cross from Admiral Chester Nimitz on May 27, 1942, but many sailors and naval officers believed that Miller's heroism deserved a Medal of Honor.[5] Miller was nominated for a Medal of Honor by a congressman from Michigan and a Senator from New York, and the Black press enthusiastically campaigned for Miller to receive this decoration. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, who opposed Black sailors serving the United States in any combat role, recommended against Miller receiving the Medal of Honor.[6] No Black sailor, soldier, or Marine was awarded the Medal of Honor between 1941 and 1945, and in 1996 Vernon J. Baker was the only Black veteran of World War II to be awarded this decoration while yet alive.[7]

In June 1943, Miller was promoted to Cook Petty Officer, Third Class.[5] In November 1943, Miller was killed in action when his ship, the escort carrier Liscome Bay, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Makin in the Gilbert Islands.

The destroyer escort/Knox-class frigate USS Miller (reclassified as a frigate in June 1975), in service from 1973 to 1991, was named after him.[8] On January 19, 2020, the Navy announced that a Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier, CVN-81, would be named after Miller.[9] The ship is scheduled to be laid down in 2026 and launched in 2029.[10][11]

  1. ^ "Veteran Tributes". veterantributes.org. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Miller, Doris". Naval History and Heritage Command. June 6, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  4. ^ Sapper, Neil. "Aboard the Wrong Ship in the Right Books: Doris Miller and Historical Accuracy". scholarworks.sfasu.edu. East Texas Historical Journal. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "PO3 Doris Miller". militaryhallofhonor.com. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Wills, Matthew (February 6, 2023). "Remembering Doris Miller". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  7. ^ "Vernon J. Baker - Military Leader - Biography". March 30, 2019. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  8. ^ "USS Miller (DE/FF-1091)". Naval History and Heritage Command. 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  9. ^ "A Military 1st: A Supercarrier Is Named After An African American Sailor". NPR.org. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference LaGrone was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Affairs, This story was written by Acting Secretary of the Navy Public. "Navy Will Name A Future Ford Class Aircraft Carrier After WWII Hero Doris Miller". www.navy.mil. Archived from the original on January 21, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.