Medal of Honor for war hero Dorie Miller pushed during WWII Memorial ceremonies

Jet, June 21, 2004

In conjunction with the recent dedication of the World War II Memorial and the kick-offof a 100-day summer tribute titled "America Celebrates the Greatest Generation," Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) recounted the almost-forgotten saga of bravery by World War II hero Dorie Miller.

During her speech in Washington, D.C., at the Black Patriot Foundation's Salute to Courage event honoring Black war veterans, she announced a bill she introduced to posthumously award the Congressional Medal of Honor to Miller.

Johnson also noted that she had asked the House Armed Services Committee "to expedite passage of the bill honoring Dorie Miller, who is a quintessential great American hero."

She noted that as a little girl, she was a neighbor of the famed Navy messman from Waco, TX, who was aboard the USS West Virginia during the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.

Miller had enlisted in the Navy at the age of 20 and was never trained to fire the ship's guns.

On Dec. 7, 1941, now officially known as Pearl Harbor Day, Miller was collecting laundry when Japanese aircraft attacked. He came to the aid of the mortally wounded captain.

After he moved the captain to shelter on deck, Miller manned a machine gun aboard the ship and shot down five Japanese aircraft. He became one of the most famous Black fighting symbols of World War II.

A year after Pearl Harbor, Miller was first nominated for the medal; however, he perished at sea aboard the aircraft carrier Liscombe Bay, which was sunk by a Japanese submarine in 1943.

Awarding Miller the long-overdue honor turned out to be the rallying cry of many of the Black veterans who trooped to Washington for the celebration and the accompanying dedication of the World War II Memorial.

In other activities surrounding the dedication, the Congressional Black Caucus hosted a tribute for Black war veterans on Capitol Hill.