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The Unforeseen Legacy of Doris Miller

Doris Miller stood for everything that is good about our nation, and his story continues to be remembered and repeated wherever our people continue the watch today

Doris Miller was born to Connery and Henrietta Miller, sharecroppers in Waco, Texas, on 12 October 1919. He had to drop out of school to help support his family, working as a cook to supplement the family income during the Great Depression. In 1939, just before his 20^th birthday, he enlisted in the United States Navy, and after training in Norfolk, Virginia, Miller became a Mess Attendant, one of the few positions open to African Americans in the Navy. He was assigned to the USS West Virginia, which soon left to join the rest of the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in response to increasing Japanese aggression.

Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, African-American roles in the Navy were limited to messman and general service. Segregation was deeply ingrained into the military structure, and many of the leading military and political figures believed that not only would any wh

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DORIS MILLER (12 Oct.1919- 24 Nov.1943).

Doris (Dorie) Miller, African-American hero of World War II, was born Doris Miller in Waco, Texas, on October 12, 1919, the son of sharecroppers Connery and Henrietta Miller. Miller entered A. J. Moore High School in Waco and became the school’s star fullback. As the third of four sons in a family engaged in subsistence farming, he was forced to drop out of school. He supplemented the family income by working as a cook in a small restaurant in Waco during the Great Depression.

Less than a month before his twentieth birthday, Miller enlisted in the United States Navy at its Dallas recruiting station. Following bootcamp training in Norfolk, Virginia, he was assigned to the USS West Virginia as a messman.

On December 7, 1941, Mess Attendant Second Class Doris Miller was collecting soiled laundry just before 8:00 A.M. When the first bombs blasted his ship at anchor in Pearl Harbor, Miller went to the main deck where he assisted in moving the mortally wounded captain.

He then raced to an unattended deck gun and fired at t

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Among the names of the many individuals who served valiantly during World War II, Waco’s own Doris Miller was a hero of national and international acclaim. Although many noted the valor he displayed during the war, some argue he still has not received the honors due him.

Born as the third of four sons to Connery and Henrietta Miller on October 12, 1919, Doris, named for the midwife present at his birth, grew up on a small sharecrop farm just outside of Waco in Speegleville, Texas. Years later, Henrietta Miller admitted that she had hoped for a baby girl, and her wishful thinking led to the feminine name, despite her husband’s protests.

Along with his siblings, Doris worked to support the family farm from an early age. In his youth, he became an excellent marksman as he hunted for small game with his brothers. Doris also had a successful school career at A. J. Moore High School. His tall stature gained the attention of the football coach at the school who recruited Doris as a fullback on the team.

However, as Doris became older, and as war loomed on the horizon, he l