On May 27th, 1942, Doris Miller became the first African-American to be awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic actions during the attacks on Pearl Harbor. In honor of Doris Miller, and to celebrate Black History Month, we looking back at what he did to earn the honor on a day that lives in infamy.
Transcript
On a day that lives in infamy, this man did everything he could to defend his crew against a terrifying force, but what did he do? To answer that question, we’re looking back. It was December 7th, 1941, and Messman Second Class Doris Miller began his duties like any other day when the battle stations alarm rang through the halls of the USS West Virginia. The infamous attacks on Pearl Harbor had begun. With his battle station destroyed, Miller ran to the bridge to help the captain, who was mortally injured. After getting the captain to safety, he sprinted to the anti-aircraft machine guns on the ship. With no training on these weapons, he was able to load and fire them at enemy aircraft to defend the fleet until he was out of ammunition. Miller’s actions were recognized on May 27th, 1942, which made him the first African American recipient of the Navy Cross. But sadly, he passed away the next year during the Battle of Gilbert Islands on November 24th, 1943, when his ship, Liscome Bay, was torpedoed and sunk. Today, Doris Miller is immortalized in a beautiful memorial in his hometown of Waco, Texas.