In Sept., 1939, Doris (the midwife that delivered him was sure he was a girl) Miller rode in the back of a bus to enlist in the U.S. Navy. Back then, the Navy greatly limited opportunities, but for a high school dropout who came from a poor family, it was a step up. He became a messman which meant he waited on tables for the officers. He did get to box and was the ships heavyweight champion. He was on board the battleship West Virginia in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He looked up and saw planes with red meatballs plummeting from the sky. Soon, the West Virginia was hit by torpedoes and bombs. Miller helped move the gravely wounded captain and then went on deck to find chaos. He helped with the wounded and threw ropes to sailors in the water. He noticed a .50 caliber anti-aircraft machine gun and decided to try it out. He had seen it in action, but had never fired one before. Doris aimed at a plane and pulled the trigger. Smoke came out of the plane and it crashed into the harbor. He shot at others and may have shot down more than that one. Black newspapers made a hero out of him, but changed his name to Dorie. In May, 1942, Admiral Chester Nimitz presented Miller with the Navy Cross, the second highest medal. Miller was the first African-American to receive the award. He was sent on a bond tour in America, but eventually was assigned to the aircraft carrier Liscome Bay. Off the island of Tarawa for the invasion of the island, the carrier was hit by a torpedo from a submarine. Miller was manning an anti-aircraft gun at the time and was one of the numerous sailors killed by the explosion.
– Amazing 300-302
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