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Distinguished African-American Sailor Saluted on US Postage Stamp
US Postal Service
 Doris Miller
- The first African-American hero of World War II, Miller became
an inspiration to generations of Americans for his actions at Pearl
Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Miller was born into a family of sharecroppers and raised near Waco,
TX. Imposing in stature, he played football in high school and later
showed skills as a heavyweight boxer. In 1939, at 19, Miller
enlisted in the Navy as a mess attendant, the only job rating open
to Blacks at the time.
Miller was serving aboard the battleship West Virginia when the
Japanese attacked while it was moored at Pearl Harbor. When damage
to the ship prevented him from reaching his regular battle station,
Miller helped with efforts to rescue his shipmates, scores of whom
were wounded or trapped in wreckage. He was later ordered to the
bridge to assist in moving the ship’s captain, who had been mortally
wounded.
After helping carry the captain to a more sheltered area, Miller
took over an unattended 50-caliber machine gun nearby. Though never
trained in its operation, he maintained fire on Japanese aircraft
until ordered to abandon the bridge as fires raged out of control.
After the attack, West Virginia’s senior surviving officer wrote in
his report that Miller’s contributions as a rescuer were crucial,
“unquestionably saving the lives of a number of people who might
otherwise have been lost.” Thanks to press coverage and the
tremendous interest of the Black community, Miller (who was often
referred to as “Dorie” in press accounts), became, arguably, the
best known enlisted sailor of World War II.
On May 27, 1942, Miller was awarded the Navy Cross “for
distinguished devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and disregard
for his own personal safety during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl
Harbor.” While presenting the award, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz,
commander in chief of the Pacific fleet, commented: “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.”
After serving aboard the Indianapolis for nearly a year, Miller took
overdue leave and made public appearances in California, Texas and
Illinois before being advanced in June 1943 to the rating of
officer’s cook, third class, and assigned to the new escort aircraft
carrier Liscome Bay. On Nov. 24, 1943, he was killed in action along
with more than 600 shipmates when a Japanese submarine torpedoed and
sank Liscome Bay during Operation Galvanic, the invasion of the
Gilbert Islands. His body was lost at sea.
Miller received numerous posthumous honors. A destroyer escort, USS
Miller (DE-1091), commissioned in 1973, was named for him. A number
of elementary schools across the country have been named after
Miller. A school, park, cemetery, and YMCA branch in Waco, TX, bear
his name.
Although he was only the first of a number of African Americans to
be recognized for their heroism in World War II, Miller is
singularly remembered for providing inspiration to a campaign for
equal recognition and opportunity for Blacks in the military, a
campaign that bore fruit in 1948 when President Truman ordered “that
there shall be equality and opportunity for all persons in the armed
forces.”
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