BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History

Doris "Dorie" Miller

On May 27, 1942,  President Franklin D. Roosevelt Had To Issue A Direct Order To The U.S. Navy To Award Doris "Dorie" Miller The Navy Cross For His Extraordinary Courage During The Attack On Pearl Harbor.

On December 7, 1941, Japanese War Planes Attacked Pearl Harbor. Doris "Dorie" Miller A Black  Navy Mess Attendant (Cook) Aboard The USS Arizona, Ran On Deck And Manned A Machine Gun. With No Previous Gun Training, He Shot Down Four Enemy Planes Before Being Ordered To Abandon Ship.  

After Receiving His Award, The 24 Year-Old Sailor Was Then Sent On Tour In African American Communities To Help  Sell war Bonds. He Went Back Into The Navy Again, As A Mess Attendant, And Was Stationed On An Aircraft Carrier In The Pacific. In 1943, The Liscombe Bay Was Hit By A Japanese Torpedo. All On Board Were Killed, Including Dorie Miller, The First Hero Of World War II.

"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.