LEWISBURG- Doris Miller, or “Dorie,” as he was called, was a US Navy Sailor who helped carry wounded soldiers to safety after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Less than a month before his 20th birthday, Miller enlisted in the Navy and following a strenuous boot camp in Norfolk, Virginia, he was assigned to the USS West Virginia.
Born on October 12, 1919 in Waco, Texas, Miller was the first black recipient of the Navy Cross and a nominee for the Medal of Honor.
The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service’s second highest honor and given to sailors and marines for their selfless acts of heroism and bravery during combat.
On top of rescuing the wounded soldiers, Miller also manned an anti-aircraft gun and shot down an enemy plane even though he had never had any kind of special gun training, according to official Navy Department records. That was never proven, but according to Miller, he “thought he hit one of the planes.”
Miller never got the distinguished Medal of Honor despite other sailors, Naval officers, and the black press’ push for him to receive it. But Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox opposed any black sailors of serving the United States in any type of combat role, and he made an even stronger push for Miller to not receive the award.
No black sailor, marine, or soldier ever won the Medal of Honor between 1941 and 1945. In fact, it wasn’t until 1996 that Vernon Baker received the honor while still alive.
Miller got promoted to Cook Petty Officer, Third Class in 1943. Just a short five months later, he was killed in action when his ship, Liscome Bay, was torpedoed and taken down by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Makin in the Gilbert Islands. The navy honored him by naming a dining hall, a barracks, and a destroyer escort after Miller. The USS Miller is just the third naval ship named after a black man.
Today, Miller’s name is associated with many museums, schools, roads, recreation centers, community centers, and much more around the country.
In Lewisburg, Dorie Miller Park has served the youth and many families for years and features basketball courts, swing sets, jungle gyms and picnic areas. It is one of the most popular outdoor locations in the county during the spring and summer months and is the host to the softball leagues as well.
Miller’s name will live on forever with all of the memorials around the nation that came together to honor him, and he truly was a great hero that helped make our great country what it is today.
Source: Doris Miller Memorial Online
Snow Covered Dorie Miller Park, taken on February 12, 2025 (Photo: Brandon Baker)
Softball Field at Dorie Miller Park in Lewisburg (Photo: Brandon Baker)
