When I first heard the news, I was so proud and so touched that I cried for a bit. Not because I was personally involved, or had anyone close to me involved, but because it represented for me a profound justice, eighty years after the fact yes, but still a recognition of the bravery one young man showed on a most profound date in history. Perhaps long overdue, but nevertheless, no less sweet.
On January 19, 2020, the United States Navy announced the name they would give to their brand new Gerald-Ford class nuclear powered aircraft carrier, CVN-81. Henceforth, the ship would be known as the USS DORIS MILLER in honour of Dorie Miller, a Cook-Second-Class on the battleship USS West Virginia during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
How does a cook get an aircraft carrier named after him? And yes, Doris is a he, since the midwife that assisted at his birth thought he was going to be a girl rather than the future heavyweight boxing champion on the West Virginia.
The story goes like this.
Miller had just finished serving breakfast in the mess and was attending to laundry just before 8 AM on December 7, 1941. Suddenly the West Virginia came under attack at its moorings in the harbour by aircraft originating from the Japanese carrier Akagi. Seven torpedoes would strike the West Virginia in the attack, and like all other sailors aboard, Miller attended to his battle station. Except the place where he was to report, an anti-aircraft magazine amidships, was no more, having been already destroyed by a Japanese torpedo. Miller scrambled to a secondary location amidships, where he reported himself ready for “other” duties.
An officer took note of Miller’s physical stature and quickly commandeered him to follow the officer to the bridge where the ship’s captain, Melvyn Bennion lay wounded with a huge hole in his abdomen. Bennion would not leave his post, so Miller was instructed to assist in getting the captain out of the field of direct fire from Japanese machine guns. Despite his own personal bravery, Bennion would die from a loss of blood as he directed his ship’s response to the attack, leaving Miller to be once again ready for “other” duties.
Lieutenant Frederic White came across Miller and ordered him to assist himself and Ensign Victor Delano with the loading of two unmanned Browning machine gun anti-aircraft positions on the ships conning tower. Miller wasn’t retrained on the gun, but White and Dylan gave him a crash course in the heat of battle. That said, it was assumed that Miller would strictly function as a loader, but when Delano looked up from his own duties he saw Miller blasting away on Number 1 Gun. From that point, Miller was assigned the starboard gun and remained there for the rest of the engagement. He is credited with downing six, perhaps as many as seven Japanese planes that morning.
The West Virginia was struck by no fewer than 7 torpedoes and would have sunk at her moorings had the surviving crew not flooded compartments to keep it upright. It would later be raised and sent out to fight again before war’s end. As the attack ended, Miller joined the efforts to rescue sailors trapped on the burning ship and in the fiery, oily waters around it. His efforts were recognized as being essential to the saving of lives aboard ship.
As for Doris Miller, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the second-highest distinction for bravery in the United States Navy. His captain, Melvyn Bennion, was awarded the Medal of Honour, an even higher distinction for bravery, but the medal was awarded posthumously. And honestly well-deserved. The key difference between Bennion and Miller other than rank?
Dorie Miller was Black.
And Blacks weren’t allowed to serve in combat positions in the United States Navy in 1941. That’s why the West Virginia’s heavyweight champ was a cook.
Dorie Miller would live another year, to the age of 25. He was aboard the escort-carrier USS Liscome Bay when it was torpedoed off the Gilbert Islands in late November 1942. He was not among the 272 survivors and was listed as “missing in action” on December 7th, a year to the day from the assault on Pearl Harbor.
And now, some eighty years after Pearl Harbour, Dorie Miller’s name graces the mightiest ship in the United States Navy, an honour well-deserved.
Honestly, how was I not going to cry?
NEWSMAGRENFREW 