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Doris Miller

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First African American to be awarded the Navy Cross (1919-1943)

United StatesLived 1919 to 1943 · aged 24
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A mess attendant who grabbed an anti-aircraft gun he'd never been trained to use and started firing back at Japanese planes over Pearl Harbor - then watched the Navy Cross land in his hands while the Medal of Honor stayed out of reach.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Also inDeutsch

Photos 10

Illustration of Miller defending the fleet at Pearl Harbor (Charles Alston, Office of War Information and Public Relations)Illustration of Miller defending the fleet at Pearl Harbor (Charles Alston, Office of War Information and Public Relations)Admiral Chester W. Nimitz pins a Navy Cross on Mess Attendant Second Class Miller during a ceremony aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) at Pearl Harbor, on May 27, 1942.Admiral Chester W. Nimitz pins a Navy Cross on Mess Attendant Second Class Miller during a ceremony aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) at Pearl Harbor, on May 27, 1942.Miller speaking with sailors and a civilian at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, January 7, 1943Miller speaking with sailors and a civilian at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, January 7, 19431943 U.S. Navy recruiting poster featuring Miller and his Navy Cross1943 U.S. Navy recruiting poster featuring Miller and his Navy CrossCommemorative plaque for Dorie Miller at the National Museum of the Pacific WarCommemorative plaque for Dorie Miller at the National Museum of the Pacific WarDorie Miller memorial at the housing cooperative named for him in Corona, QueensDorie Miller memorial at the housing cooperative named for him in Corona, QueensDoris Miller Auditorium in Austin, TexasDoris Miller Auditorium in Austin, Texas

Awards 8

1942Navy Cross
Purple Heart
World War II Victory Medal
Combat Action Ribbon
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Good Conduct Medal
American Defense Service Medal

Connected to Doris 6

John FordAlso won American Defense Service MedalLee Van CleefAlso won Good Conduct MedalOliver NorthAlso won Combat Action RibbonMatthew RidgwayAlso won Asiatic-Pacific Campaign MedalJohn BasiloneAlso won Navy CrossAlvin YorkAlso won World War II Victory Medal

About this person

Doris "Dorie" Miller was born October 12, 1919, and by December 7, 1941, he was a mess attendant second class on the USS West Virginia, one of the only roles open to Black sailors. When the bombs hit Pearl Harbor, he carried wounded men to safety, then manned an anti-aircraft gun with no gunnery training and shot down at least one plane, possibly as many as six by his own account. Admiral Chester Nimitz pinned the Navy Cross on him on May 27, 1942, making Miller the first Black recipient, but Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox - who opposed Black sailors in combat - blocked the Medal of Honor nomination that a congressman and senator had filed. Miller made cook petty officer third class by June 1943. On November 24, 1943, a Japanese torpedo sank the escort carrier Liscome Bay during the Battle of Makin, killing Miller and 701 others in the deadliest carrier loss in U.S. Navy history. Two ships now carry his name: a frigate commissioned in 1973, and a Ford-class carrier scheduled to launch in 2029 - the first carrier named for an African American and the first for an enlisted sailor's combat actions.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Country
United States
Type
Other
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1919 to 1943 · aged 24
Wikipedia
22 languages

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