The Ship’s Cook An Unlikely Hero
By Tom Morrow
Doris “Dorie” Miller, born Oct. 12, 1919, died most likely on Nov. 24, 1943. He was a U.S. Navy cook aboard the USS West Virginia. Thou, untrained for the position, he manned anti-aircraft guns during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and during World War II was one of the first American serviceman to be decorated for valor.
What adds interest to the actions of Miller, who was a 2nd-class petty officer cook, is he was the first African-American to be so honored. As a result, his heroism rallied the wary Black communities across America to give more support to the War effort
Miller did his training at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, then was promoted to 3rd Class petty officer cook, one of the few ratings open at the time to black sailors. On Jan. 2, 1940, he was transferred to the battleship USS West Virginia.
When the attack on Pearl Harbor began, Miller immediately reported to his battle station, only to discover a torpedo had destroyed it. The young petty officer ran into an officer, who told him to go to the bridge and aid the ship’s Captain, Mervyn Bennion, who had been gravely wounded by shrapnel.
Miller was then ordered to load and fire two Browning .50 caliber anti-aircraft machine guns in the aft part of the battleship. He wasn’t familiar with the machine gun, but two accompanying officers told him what to do.
Miller fired the gun until he ran out of ammunition, then he was ordered 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.
When the attack finally subsided, Miller was ordered to help move injured sailors through oil and water, thereby “unquestionably saving the lives of a number of sailors who might otherwise have been lost.”
The West Virginia sank to the Pearl Harbor bottom as her crew, including Miller, abandoned ship.
Two weeks later, the Navy released a list of commendations. Among them was a single notation for an “unnamed Negro.” The NAACP asked President Franklin D. Roosevelt to determine the name of the sailor and award him the Distinguished Service Cross, at that time the second-highest combat honor. The Navy Board of Awards in Washington D. C., revealed the name of the “unknown Negro” sailor was that of 2nd Class Petty Officer “Doris Miller.” The Pittsburgh Courier initiated a write-in campaign to send Miller to the Naval Academy.
His combat recognition made him one of the first heroes of World War II. He was commended by Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, and personally recognized by Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. Nimitz presented Miller with the Navy Cross, at that time, the third-highest award for gallantry during combat. Today the Navy Cross is the second-highest honor for the Navy and Marines.
Miller was promoted to Mess Attendant 1st Class on June 1, 1942. The Pittsburgh Courier continued to push to return Miller to the U.S. for a war bond tour, but he already was back in the country doing just that.
After training in Hawaii, Miller was assigned to the USS Liscome Bay, which took part in the Battle of Makin Island. On Nov. 24, 1942, his ship was sunk with only 272 survivors. The ship was struck in the stern by a torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-175. The aircraft bomb magazine detonated a few moments later, causing the ship to sink in 23 minutes.
Of the 272 survivors from the Liscome Bay crew of more than 900, Miller was among the two-thirds of the crew listed as “presumed dead.” His parents were informed he was missing in action on Dec. 7, 1943, ironically two years after his heroic actions at Pearl Harbor.
A memorial service was held on April 30, 1944, at the Second Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, sponsored by the Victory Club. On May 28, a granite marker was dedicated at Moore High School in Waco to honor him. Miller was officially declared dead by the Navy on Nov. 25, 1944, a year and a day after the loss of the USS Liscome Bay.
For years, Dorey Miller had slipped into historical obscurity, however actor Cuba Gooding played Miller in a few brief scenes in the recent film, “Pearl Harbor,” which returned the sailor’s heroism to merely a brief note, but on Jan. 19, of this year, the Navy announced the nation’s newest aircraft carrier, CVN-81, would be christened the USS Dorie Miller. The carrier, with its keel to be laid down in 2023, is a Gerald R. Ford-class carrier scheduled for launching in 2028.