Miller, Doris “Dorie” United States Navy Hero
By
John C Abercrombie
Dorie Miller is a Black American hero who served during World War II. Born in Waco, Texas on October 12, 1919. He was named Doris by the midwife who assisted his mother that the baby would be a girl. His parents were Connery and Henrietta Miller, the third of four sons.
As he grew up, he as did his siblings worked around the house, cooking, doing laundry and working on the farm. He also played fullback on the Waco Black high school, Alexander James Moore High School football team. Most people are not aware of the value of education in the Black community. Former enslaved persons encouraged education. They took advantage of it when possible. It was a mainstay and anchor of the community.
In 1875, Professor Alexander James Moore of Paul Quinn College, concerned at the lack of quality education for African American children in Waco, began teaching small groups of young children out of his home. Though Reconstruction Legislature of 1870 eliminated segregation in schools throughout Texas, these laws were appealed by 1873, and most cities like Waco were left without provisions for African American education. Over time, Moore’s classes grew larger and larger, and it became clear that the school, now called the First District Negro School, needed to find some sort of official facility. In 1881, the classes moved to a small four-room frame building which had originally been a hospital at the corner of Clay Avenue and River Street. These classes became known as the Second District Negro School. In addition to being the first teacher, A. J. Moore served as the school’s first principal from 1881 to 1905. The inaugural graduating class in 1886 contained only five students. In the school’s almost one-hundred years of serving Waco’s children, more than 4,000 students graduated, many continuing on to successful careers.
Missing is the anchor that the Black high school represented in the community. It was cohesive in keeping the community together. Homecoming was a big event that brought people together from all classes. With the elimination of these schools a vital connection of the community was lost.
Miller began attending the eighth grade on January 25, 1937, at age 17; he repeated the grade the following year because of poor performance, so he decided to drop out of school. He filled his time squirrel hunting with a .22 rifle and completed a correspondence course in taxidermy. While we see some failure in the academic world, we may be tempted to overlook the completion of the taxidermy class. This shows the ability to comprehend those things that are of interest. This happens in “real” life. We have to develop the interest and when we do, the sky is the limit. This is a challenge for both the student and the teacher. It is constant throughout life. Instead of taking the dumb way out and believing a person incapable, we should be on the lookout for that which motivates.
He applied to join the Civilian Conservation Corps but was not accepted. The exact reason is not known. At that time, he was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed more than 200 pounds Miller worked on his father’s farm until shortly before his 20th birthday.
Miller enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a mess attendant third class at the Naval Recruiting Station in Dallas, Texas, for six years on September 16, 1939. Mess attendant was one of the few ratings open at the time to Black sailors. Most military volunteers did not enter to do menial work. They were more than willing to do anything else but, due to the prevailing racial stereotype, were prevented from most jobs, jobs that would provide training for the future, just like the White volunteers. Many performed heroically but were often denied the honors commensurate with their actions. This demonstrates the depth to which racism is engrained into America. It also points out the need for education for Black history to avoid a continuation of these arcane practices.
Miller was transferred to the Naval Training Center, Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Virginia, arriving on September 19. After training school, he was assigned to the ammunition ship Pyro (AE-1) and then transferred on January 2, 1940, to the Colorado-class battleship West Virginia (BB-48). It was in West Virginia where he started competition boxing, becoming the ship’s heavyweight champion. In July, he was on temporary duty aboard Nevada (BB-36) at Secondary Battery Gunnery School. He returned to West Virginia on August 3. He advanced in rating to mess attendant second class on February 16, 1941.
On the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Miller woke up at 6 a.m. on December 7, 1941, aboard West Virginia. He served breakfast mess and was collecting laundry at 7:57 a.m. when planes from the Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi fired the first of seven torpedoes that hit West Virginia. The “battle stations” alarm went off; Miller headed for his battle station, an anti-aircraft battery magazine amidships, only to discover that a torpedo had destroyed it.
He then went to “Times Square” on deck, a central spot aboard the ship where the fore-to-aft and port-to-starboard passageways crossed, reporting himself available for other duty and was assigned to help carry wounded sailors to places of greater safety. Lieutenant Commander Doir C. Johnson, the ship’s communications officer, spotted Miller and saw his physical prowess, so he ordered him to accompany him to the conning tower on the flag bridge to assist in moving the ship’s captain, Mervyn Bennion, who had a gaping wound in his abdomen where he had apparently been hit by shrapnel after the first Japanese attack. Miller and another sailor lifted the skipper but were unable to remove him from the bridge, so they carried him on a cot from his exposed position on the damaged bridge to a sheltered spot on the deck behind the conning tower where he remained during the second Japanese attack. Captain Bennion refused to leave his post, questioned his officers and men about the condition of the ship, and gave orders and instructions to crew members to defend the ship and fight. Unable to go to the deck below because of smoke and flames, he was carried up a ladder to the navigation bridge, where he died from blood loss despite the aid from a pharmacist mate. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
We see the courage of men acting under the stress of war and come to the realization that it is the heart of the person, not the color of the skin that is the determining factor. The color of the skin, however, is a big factor when it comes to the acknowledgement and awarding of citations.
Lieutenant Frederic H. White had ordered Miller to help him, and Ensign Victor Delano loaded the unmanned number 1 and number 2 Browning .50 caliber anti-aircraft machine guns aft of the conning tower. Miller was not familiar with the weapon, but White and Delano instructed him on how to operate it. Delano expected Miller to feed ammunition to one gun, but his attention was diverted and, when he looked again, Miller was firing one of the guns. White then loaded ammunition into both guns and assigned Miller the starboard gun. Here we see the stereotype fade away. Because leaders believed that color, not heart, was the determining factor in determining fitness for war. That Blacks were incapable and could not learn and would not stand fast when the stress hit the fan. Oh, how wrong these antiquated ideas explode under fire. Dorie Miller showed that we are made of the right stuff and only want a chance. We do expect full citizenship and rights in return. Courage has no color!
Miller fired the gun until he ran out of ammunition, whereupon he was ordered by Lieutenant Claude V. Ricketts to help carry the captain up to the navigation bridge out of the thick oily smoke generated by the many fires on and around the ship; Miller was officially credited with downing at least two hostile planes. “I think I got one of those Jap(anese) planes. They were diving pretty close to us,” he said later. Japanese aircraft eventually dropped two armor-piercing bombs through the deck of the battleship and launched five 18-inch torpedoes into her port side. When the attack finally lessened, Miller helped move injured sailors through oil and water to the quarterdeck, thereby “unquestionably saving the lives of a number of people who might otherwise have been lost”.
America claims that history is the way to avoid a repeat of it, but for some odd reason believe that it is still accurate when pertinent facts are omitted. America has a national problem with acknowledging positive actions by Blacks. This practice goes back to the establishment of slavery here. The failure to acknowledge intellect, abilities, drive, motivation etc. allowed the myth of incapability to flourish and permeate the psyche of the nation. This allowed the myth of benevolence and racial superiority to flourish without question. This is the heart of the problem we face today. The solution is to face the reality that has remained hidden for such a long time.
The ship was heavily damaged by bombs, torpedoes, and resulting explosions and fires, but the crew prevented her from capsizing by counter-flooding compartments. Instead, West Virginia sank to the harbor bottom in shallow water as her surviving crew abandoned ship, including Miller; the ship was later raised and restored for continued service in the war. On West Virginia, 132 men were killed and 52 were wounded from the Japanese attack. On December 13, Miller reported to the heavy cruiser Indianapolis (CA-35).
On January 1, 1942, the Navy released a list of commendations for actions on December 7. Among them was a single commendation for an unnamed Black man. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had asked President Franklin D. Roosevelt to award the Distinguished Service Cross to the unknown Black sailor. The Navy Board of Awards received a recommendation that the sailor be considered for recognition. On March 12, an Associated Press story named Miller as the sailor, citing the African-American newspaper Pittsburgh Courier; additional news reports credited Lawrence D. Reddick with learning the name through correspondence with the Navy Department, with these news reports becoming influential aspects in giving the Double V campaign greater legitimacy In the following days, Senator James M. Mead introduced a Senate bill to award Miller the Medal of Honor, and Representative John Dingell Sr. introduced a matching House bill.
Once again, the Navy had information to identify Miller, yet as part of the “Do not give credit to Blacks” movement. Note: this is not a real organization, but sarcasm on the part of the author to call out the practice of hiding credit to any and all Blacks, no matter how well deserved the honor.
Miller was not trained because of the stereotype that Blacks were incapable, yet we see a level or heroism from a 10-minute instruction. It seems as if we would want the best trained force on the planet, which is impossible if we depend on factors like skin color to make the determination. Think of the many people who would have been inspired by this story.
Miller was recognized as one of the “first U.S. heroes of World War II”. He was commended in a letter signed by Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on April 1, and the next day CBS Radio broadcast an episode of the series “They Live Forever”, which dramatized Miller’s actions. Black organizations began a campaign to honor Miller with additional recognition. On April 4, the Pittsburgh Courier urged readers to write to members of the congressional Naval Affairs Committee in support of awarding the Medal of Honor to Miller. The All-Southern Negro Youth Conference launched a signature campaign on April 17–19. On May 10, the National Negro Congress denounced Knox’s recommendation against awarding Miller the Medal of Honor. On May 11 President Roosevelt approved the Navy Cross for Miller.
The difference between the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor
Actions that merit the Navy Cross must be of such a high degree that they are above those required for all other U.S. combat decorations but do not merit award of the Medal of Honor. The Navy Cross is equivalent to the Distinguished Service Cross (Army) and the Air Force Cross (Air Force).
On May 27 Miller was personally recognized by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, aboard the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CV-6) at anchor in Pearl Harbor. Nimitz presented Miller with the Navy Cross, at the time the third-highest Navy award for gallantry during combat, after the Medal of Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal; on August 7, 1942, Congress revised the order of precedence, placing the Navy Cross above the Distinguished Service Medal in precedence. Nimitz said of Miller’s commendation, “This marks the first time in this conflict that such a 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.”
The Black newspaper the Pittsburgh Courier ran a photo of Miller with the caption “He Fought … Keeps Mop”. The picture showed a White survivor receiving an officer’s commission. The picture was captioned the Navy felt Miller was “too important waiting tables in the Pacific” for him to return to the United States.
This is just an example of the disparate treatment of Blacks and Whites. It affected lives that carried on for generations and affects the progeny of people that have gone above and beyond the call of duty for their country.
On November 24, the day after Makin was captured by American soldiers and the eve of Thanksgiving (the cooks had broken out the frozen turkeys from Pearl Harbor), Liscome Bay was cruising near Butaritari (Makin Atoll’s main island) when it was struck just before dawn in the stern by a torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-175 (which fired four torpedoes at Task Group 5312). The carrier’s own torpedoes and aircraft bombs exploded, causing the ship to sink in 23 minutes. There were 272 survivors from the crew of over 900, but Miller was among the two-thirds of the crew listed as “presumed dead”. His parents were informed that he was missing in action on December 7, 1943. Liscome Bay was the only ship lost in the Gilbert Islands operation.
Dorie Miller died fighting for the country he loved, so much he was willing to fight for the principals that she stood for. All he and hundreds of thousands of others wanted was for that country to love them back. However, that is a largely unfulfilled dream. Many brave Black soldiers and sailors have not only fought but died in civilian life for wearing the uniform that they treasured because of the color of their skin.
Most people see the magnitude of the problem and rapidly come to the conclusion that there is nothing a single person can do. WRONG! The solution STARTS with a single person willing to face the past and realize that the future requires using the present to stop the madness.
It all begins with understanding the past, understanding what went wrong and taking steps to correct it. It begins with a single person, YOU!
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Continue for great insight through our videos and books selected to enhance your learning.
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Doris “Dorie” Miller
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Aircraft carrier to be named after Pearl Harbor hero
Instead of presidents or admirals, an African American enlisted sailor – a hero during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor – will be honored when the USS Doris Miller is christened. David Martin talks with Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly, who broke with tradition to name the next Navy aircraft carrier after an enlisted man, and with relatives of Doris “Dorie” Miller, who was not initially recognized for his valor on that “Day of Infamy.”
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Book
Often books are available in several forms, Hard cover, Paperback, Kindle which can be read on cell phones and other devices including Kindles. My favorite is Audible which can be listened to on cell phones and other devices. It is not necessary to have a separate device. While we focus on books that complement the subject matter, there are books in almost every genre you desire. Of great interest is that you can sample the books by clicking the icon that suggests them.
Doris Miller-Hero of Pearl Harbor
Doris Miller fought bravely against Japanese attackers at Pearl Harbor. The young African-American from Texas was one of the first sailors to earn the Navy Cross during World War II. This is the story of his heroic life from one of the top non-fiction writers in the West.
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Doris Miller went from Mess Attendant to ‘Hero of Pearl Harbor’ 🛳 Combat Ships | Smithsonian Channel
On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Down below the decks of the USS West Virginia, an African-American mess attendant by the name of “Dorie” Miller found himself thrust into battle.
In 1993, a trio of military tech enthusiasts bought a decommissioned Pegasus-class warship called the USS Aries. It turned out to be a Hydrofoil–one of the most technologically advanced ships ever constructed.
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Book
Doris Miller, Pearl Harbor, and the Birth of the Civil Rights Movement (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series Book 158)
On the morning of December 7, 1941, after serving breakfast and turning his attention to laundry services aboard the USS West Virginia, Ship’s Cook Third Class Doris “Dorie” Miller heard the alarm calling sailors to battle stations. The first of several torpedoes dropped from Japanese aircraft had struck the American battleship. Miller hastily made his way to a central point and was soon called to the bridge by Lt. Com. Doir C. Johnson to assist the mortally wounded ship’s captain, Mervyn Bennion. Miller then joined two others in loading and firing an unmanned anti-aircraft machine gun—a weapon that, as an African American in a segregated military, Miller had not been trained to operate. But he did, firing the weapon on attacking Japanese aircraft until the .50-caliber gun ran out of ammunition. For these actions, Miller was later awarded the Navy Cross, the third-highest naval award for combat gallantry.
Historians Thomas W. Cutrer and T. Michael Parrish have not only painstakingly reconstructed Miller’s inspiring actions on December 7. They also offer for the first time a full biography of Miller placed in the larger context of African American service in the United States military and the beginnings of the civil rights movement.
Like so many sailors and soldiers in World War II, Doris Miller’s life was cut short. Just two years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Miller was aboard the USS Liscome Bay when it was sunk by a Japanese submarine. But the name—and symbolic image—of Dorie Miller lived on. As Cutrer and Parrish conclude, “Dorie Miller’s actions at Pearl Harbor, and the legend that they engendered, were directly responsible for helping to roll back the navy’s then-to-fore unrelenting policy of racial segregation and prejudice, and, in the chain of events, helped to launch the civil rights movement of the 1960s that brought an end to the worst of America’s racial intolerance.”
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USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) | The Navy Has Started Building Newest Ford-class Carrier
Huntington Ingalls Industries‘ Newport News Shipbuilding division has started the construction of the U.S. Navy’s fourth Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier that the service branch plans to use for global sea lane protection and national security strategy implementation initiatives.
The future aircraft carrier Doris Miller (CVN 81) is part of a contract for ship design and construction efforts HII has been doing since its award in 2019, the company said Wednesday. Newport News is using digital drawings and procedures to build Doris Miller, whose early construction includes shop work and structural fabrication efforts. The ship is expected to be delivered to the Navy in 2032 while the laying of its keel is planned for 2026.
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Book
Dorie Miller: Greatness Under Fire
The story of December 7th, 1941 is very familiar to us. It changed the history of this country and the world, but few people may know of the story of Dorie Miller the African-American cook who was stationed on the USS West Virginia at the time of the attack at Pearl Harbor . He was the ship’s cook, but on December 7th 1941, he showed his crewmates and his country that he was capable of much more. This is his remarkable story of courage under fire.
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Why is the newest US supercarrier named Doris?
The video concerns the US navy naming its latest supercarrier earlier this year. The carrier is yet to be built and its name is going to be USS Doris Miller. The video tells a short story behind that name.
Image used in the thumbnail by U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Riley McDowell / Public domain (CVN-78 and CVN-75 sailing together on 4 June 2020)
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America has had a great time eliminating competition for the best in America by omitting the history of an entire race that has demonstrated the ability to match any other race. This is because of the power of knowledge of where we come from, what we are capable and the knowledge that hiding this eliminates competition and promotes White Supremacy. This post also shows that all lose when we do not extract the best from the best. While it is shameful to look back at what has been done it doesn’t hold a candle to the avoidance that we enhance from the cowardice to address the problem today. Learning this factual history harems no one and we all benefit from it.