Miller, Dorie (1919-1943), was a famous African American hero of World War II (1939-1945). Miller showed great bravery during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941.
Miller was born on Oct. 12, 1919, on a farm near Waco, Texas. His real first name was Doris. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1939. The Navy was still segregated at the time, and African Americans could serve only as cooks, stewards, mess attendants, or waiters.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Miller was serving as a mess attendant aboard the battleship West Virginia at the U.S. naval base on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. That day, Japan staged a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and the West Virginia came under fire. African Americans in the service at that time were not provided the gunnery training given to white sailors. But Miller took the place of a dead machine-gun operator and fired on attacking Japanese warplanes. According to some accounts, Miller shot down at least one—and possibly as many as four—Japanese aircraft. For this feat, Miller received the Navy Cross, a medal given for great heroism in combat.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Miller became a steward aboard the aircraft carrier Liscome Bay. He was killed when a Japanese submarine torpedo blew up the ship on Nov. 24, 1943. The USS Miller, a destroyer escort named in honor of Miller, was commissioned in 1973. The ship was decommissioned in 1991. In 2020, the Navy announced that it would name its newest aircraft carrier after Miller.
