Dorie Miller: Hero of Pearl Harbor

Overview

The Milford Museum American History Series continues with a program titled Dorie Miller: Hero of Pearl Harbor presented by Dante Brizill on Saturday, November 8, 1:00 p.m. at the Milford Public Library in Milford, Delaware. Serving as a mess attendant aboard the USS West Virginia during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, Miller helped to move his mortally wounded captain to safety before taking control of a machine gun and returning fire at the attacking Japanese aircraft. To honor his bravery, Miller was the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross in 1942. He became an important figure for civil rights and equality when his story was heavily publicized in the black press. In 1943 Miller was killed in action when his ship, the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay, was sunk by a torpedo. Miller has been honored with multiple namesakes, including the USS Miller frigate, the Doris “Dorie” Miller Memorial Park in Waco, Texas, and, in 2020, the aircraft carrier USS Doris Miller (CVN-81).