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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 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.