Doris “Dorie” Miller enlisted in the Navy in 1939 and was made a mess attendant in the United States “Jim Crow” Navy.  Miller was eventually elevated to Cook, Third Class. He was eventually assigned to the USS West Virginia stationed in Hawaii. Miller was aboard the West Virginia on December 7, 1941, when it was subjected to a surprise attack by Japan.  During the attack, Miller secured an unattended anti-aircraft gun and began firing at Japanese war planes.  Miller had no previous training in operating the weapon.  Miller shot down at least one Japanese aircraft before he ran out of ammunition and was ordered to abandon ship.

Although Miller’s courage under fire was initially overlooked, the black press seized his story and pressured the Navy to recognize him.  On May 27, 1942, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz awarded Miller the Navy Cross.  During the spring of 1943, Miller was assigned to the Liscome Bay and was still serving as a "messman" on the warship, despite his previous heroism, when the carrier was sunk in the Gilbert Islands in 1943.  In addition to the Navy Cross, Miller received the Purple Heart, American Defense Service Medal - Fleet Clasp, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.  In 1973, the Knox-class frigate USS Miller was named for Doris “Dorie” Miller. Oscar Award winning actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. portrayed Miller in the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor, and in 1991, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority dedicated a bronze commemorative plaque of Miller at the Miller Family Park located on the U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor.

Sources:
Darlene Clark 1Hine, William C. Clark and Stanley Harrold.  The African American Odyssey, Combined Volume  (New York: Prentice Hall, 2003); Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorie_Miller

Contributor(s):
Whitaker, Matthew C.
Arizona State University

Entry Categories: