Art Museum Label: Dorie Miller

Dorie Miller was a attendant anonymous to the public until one day. Dorie worked on the U.S.S West Virginia. Dorie was born in 1919 and died in 1943. On December 7, 1941 on the attack of Pearl Harbor when his ship got shot down and was sinking. Dorie Miller did the unthinkable, he got his Captain and swam to the top of the ship grabbed a gun and shot down one plane. Dorie kept shooting till his Captain said " enough". After the war and word got out to everyone about what Dorie Miller did Frank Knox Secretary of the Navy wrote Dorie a letter of Commendation. An uproar began because people thought he should get the Navy Cross Award. Eventually Dorie Miller was awarded the Navy Cross by Franklin Roosevelt 6 months after the war ended in December. Dorie Miller died at age 24 on the sinking of the U.S.S Liscome Bay.

Born in 1919, Dorie Miller was the first African-American that was rewarded the Navy Cross for his "above and beyond the call of duty" act.  Although he was just a cook in the Navy, he did step up when needed. On December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor, he grabbed a 50 mm bridge gun and shot down at least on Japanese plane while on the U.S.S West Virginia ship. Even though he showed so much dedication to fighting for his country, there was a lot of controversy on whether or not he should be awarded a Navy Cross. It was nearly 6 months after his heroic act when he received the Navy Cross. Unfortunately, Dorie Miller was killed while serving in Navy in 1943 on the U.S.S Liscome Bay. Dorie Miller has a great impact on a lot of people, especially my Dorie Miller History Class.