Doris Miller (October 12, 1919 – November 24, 1943) was a
United States Navy cook who was the first black American to be awarded the
Navy Cross, the highest decoration for valor in combat after the
Medal of Honor. Miller served aboard
USS West Virginia, a battleship that was sunk by Japanese
torpedo bombers during the surprise
attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. During the attack, he helped several sailors who were wounded, and shot down several Japanese planes while manning an
anti-aircraft machine gun for which he had no training. Miller's actions earned him the Navy Cross, and the resulting publicity for Miller in the black press made him an iconic emblem of the fight for civil rights for black Americans. On November 24, 1943, Miller was killed while serving aboard the escort carrier
USS Liscome Bay when it was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the
Battle of Makin in the
Gilbert Islands. The destroyer escort
USS Miller (reclassified as a frigate in 1975), in service from 1973 to 1991, was named after him. In 2020, the Navy announced that a
Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would be named
USS Doris Miller. The ship is scheduled to be
laid down in 2026 and launched in 2029. This U.S. Navy photograph of Miller was taken in 1942.
Photograph credit: United States Navy, restored by Adam Cuerden