Doris Miller US Navy USS West Virginia |
Doris Miller, known as "Dorie" to shipmates and friends, was born in Waco, Texas, on 12 October 1919, to Henrietta and Conery Miller. He had three brothers, one of which served in the Army during World War II. While attending Moore High School in Waco, he was a fullback on the football team. He worked on his father's farm before enlisting in the U.S Navy as Mess Attendant, Third Class, at Dallas, Texas, on 16 September 1939, to travel, and earn money for his family. He later was commended by the Secretary of the Navy, was advanced to Mess Attendant, Second Class and First Class, and subsequently was promoted to Ship's Cook, Third Class. Following training at the Naval Training Station, Norfolk, Virginia, Miller was assigned to the ammunition ship USS Pyro (AE-1) where he served as a Mess Attendant, and on 2 January 1940 was transferred to USS West Virginia (BB-48), where he became the ship's heavyweight boxing champion. In July of that year he had temporary duty aboard USS Nevada (BB-36) at Secondary Battery Gunnery School. He returned to West Virginia and on 3 August, and was serving in that battleship when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Miller had arisen at 6 a.m., and was collecting laundry when the alarm for general quarters sounded. He headed for his battle station, the antiaircraft battery magazine amidship, only to discover that torpedo damage had wrecked it, so he went on deck. Because of his physical prowess, he was assigned to carry wounded fellow Sailors to places of greater safety. Then an officer ordered him to the bridge to aid the mortally wounded Captain of the ship. He subsequently manned a 50 caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun until he ran out of ammunition and was ordered to abandon ship. Miller described firing the machine gun during the battle, a weapon which he had not been trained to operate: "It wasn't hard. I just pulled the trigger and she worked fine. I had watched the others with these guns. I guess I fired her for about fifteen minutes. I think I got one of those Jap planes. They were diving pretty close to us." During the attack, Japanese aircraft dropped two armored piercing bombs through the deck of the battleship and launched five 18-inch aircraft torpedoes into her port side. Heavily damaged by the ensuing explosions, and suffering from severe flooding below decks, the crew abandoned ship while West Virginia slowly settled to the harbor bottom. Of the 1,541 men on West Virginia during the attack, 130 were killed and 52 wounded. Subsequently refloated, repaired, and modernized, the battleship served in the Pacific theater through to the end of the war in August 1945. Miller was commended by the Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on 1 April 1942, and on 27 May 1942 he received the Navy Cross, which Fleet Admiral (then Admiral) Chester W. Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet personally presented to Miller on board aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for his extraordinary courage in battle. Speaking of Miller, Nimitz remarked: This marks the first time in this conflict that such high tribute has been made in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race and I'm sure that the future will see others similarly honored for brave acts. On 13 December 1941, Miller reported to USS Indianapolis (CA-35), and subsequently returned to the west coast of the United States in November 1942. Assigned to the newly constructed USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) in the spring of 1943, Miller was on board that escort carrier during Operation Galvanic, the seizure of Makin and Tarawa Atolls in the Gilbert Islands. Liscome Bay's aircraft supported operations ashore between 20-23 November 1943. At 5:10 a.m. on 24 November, while cruising near Butaritari Island, 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. Listed as missing following the loss of that escort carrier, Miller was officially presumed dead 25 November 1944, a year and a day after the loss of Liscome Bay. Only 272 Sailors survived the sinking of Liscome Bay, while 646 died. In addition to the Navy Cross, Miller was entitled to the Purple Heart Medal; the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal. Commissioned on 30 June 1973, USS Miller (FF-1091), a Knox-class frigate, was named in honor of Doris Miller. On 11 October 1991, 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. |
My name is Stephen E. Sherman, Staff Sergeant, disabled World War II veteran. I met Dorie Miller at the USO in San Francisco, California. We spent the evening together and he after much persuasion to open up and tell us what he had done over in Pearl Harbor. He was such an humble, religious man. He finally opened up enough to tell us about his incident and how he pulled one of his officer's that had been wounded to a safe place and he went back himself and manned a machine gun. He said that he shot two planes out of the sky and seen another coming straight at him. Dorie told us that he waited until he saw the whites of his eyes and shot him point blank out of the sky. We were so thrilled to hear his story. He was a very quiet, humble man we told him he was a great hero and he said he did what probably what all of us would have done in the same situation. He told us that he had been honored I believe at Fort Mason that day and they wanted him to sell war bonds, but he told me and the others that he was going back to sea because we couldn't imagine what those Japanese had done to Pearl and the United States, and he must go back and continue to fight until they had been paid back for what they had done to the United States and his fellow sailors. I shall never forget Dorie Miller and I am so thankful to my Lord to have had the privilege of being in his company for a few hours of my life and to know him and his great exploits. He really amazed me. He was such a humble quiet man with great charisma. He reminded me of that great football player, Jim Brown, the same quiet personality. I would like very much to know the man in Detroit. We as Black Americans should demand that my dear friend be awarded the "Medal of Honor." In 1973 when they named a ship after Dorie Miller, that is when they should have awarded him the highest honor available. He said he pulled Captain Bennion out of harms way and manned the machine gun and shot 3 Zeros out of the sky. After I finished high school in 1939 at Akron, Colorado I was the only Black kid in my class. Three of my football buddies and I decided to join the Navy. We went to the Navy enlistment center in Sterling, Colorado. The enlistment officer told my three white friends that they could enlist as a seaman and could advance all the way up to admiral. He turned to me and said all he could offer me was a cook's helper or shine the captain's boots. My three white football buddies enlisted and I went back home. All three of my dear friends are buried in Pearl Harbor on the USS Arizona. Just a little bit of history. I was drafted into the service in 1942, rose to the rank of sergeant and fought in Europe, and then went to Okinawa and Japan. Thank you and may God bless you. Let's continue the fight until Dorie Miller gets his rightful place in history. |
War Poster |
