Doris "Dorie" Miller, who manned anti-aircraft guns during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, for which he had no training, and tended to the wounded. He was recognized by the Navy for his actions and awarded the Navy Cross. Dorie, who hailed from Waco Texas, was the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest decoration for valor awarded by the Navy, after the Medal of Honor. Miller's acts were heavily publicized in the black press, making him an iconic emblem of the war for African Americans. Sadly, nearly two years after Pearl Harbor, he was killed in action when his ship Liscome Bay was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Makin. The Knox-class frigate USS Miller, in service from 1973 to 1991, was named after Doris Miller. On January 19, 2020, the Navy announced that CVN-81 would be named after him, a Gerald R. Ford–class aircraft carrier scheduled to be laid down in 2023 and launched in 2028. Shown here: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz awards the Navy Cross to Ship's Cook Second Class Petty Officer Doris (Dorie) Miller for heroism on the U.S.S. West Virginia battleship in March, 1942.
