Navy to name newest aircraft carrier after Navy Cross recipient Doris Miller

The video tells the whole story, but just as a precursor to that, the incomparable Carl Prine of Navy Times has a good story up:
During an emotional Monday ceremony in Pearl Harbor, Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly honored the legacy of World War II hero Doris Miller by bestowing his name on a future aircraft carrier.
It marks the first time a flattop has paid homage to an African American ― a Navy Cross recipient and an enlisted service member ― and it was decreed on a day set aside to remember the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his lifelong crusade to end racial discrimination across the United States.
With the USS Arizona Memorial his backdrop, Modly sketched how Miller rose to battle on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, a mess attendant in a racially segregated rating that made African American men servants to white officers.
Instead of collecting the morning’s laundry, Miller carried wounded shipmates from the blazing battleship West Virginia after it was hit by enemy fire. He fought the flames as they erupted on the vessel and then manned a .50 caliber machine gun — a weapon he never had operated previously — to swat away Japanese planes during the ongoing surprise attack that launched the United States into World War II.
His ammo spent and ordered to abandon ship, he was one of the last three sailors to escape the West Virginia.
But the video does the story more justice I think because it shows Dorie (or Doris) and the times he lived in.
According to Wikipedia, we have at least 3 American Legion posts named for him:
- Dorie Miller Post 546 – American Legion post in Racine, Wisconsin
- Dorie Miller Post 915 – American Legion post in Chicago
- Dorie E. Miller Post 817 – American Legion post in Beaumont, Texas
Glad a future generation of sailors will be proud to have served on the carrier. A well deserved honor.
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Comments
Steve (not verified)
January 23, 2020 - 1:41pm
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Typo
Apparently, the man's name was 'Dorie' Miller, not 'Doris' Miller.
MOTHAX
January 23, 2020 - 1:44pm
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Name
They explain that in the video, his actual name was "Doris" but everyone knew him as Dorie.
albert burgos (not verified)
January 23, 2020 - 2:44pm
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RE: Payment Acknowledgement & Service Confirmation
USS INGRAHAM DD694
D. A. Lamar (not verified)
January 23, 2020 - 2:59pm
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Honoring D. Miller
It is about time he was honored.
Marlowe (not verified)
January 23, 2020 - 3:07pm
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Dorie Miller
If Marion Morrison is commonly referred to as John Wayne, then let the ship bear the first name That sailor is known by; Dorie.
There is condominium complex in Queens, NY named after him and it is called Dorie Miller
forster (not verified)
January 23, 2020 - 5:46pm
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carrier name
nothing but politics
Bill Potters (not verified)
January 23, 2020 - 6:46pm
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Honor
This is the least we can do for our hero’s
victor medina iii (not verified)
January 23, 2020 - 7:28pm
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serving on old ff-1091 uss miller
its good to see that a world class ship will be named for the waco,tx hero dorie miller. i served on the 1972 uss miller ff-1091 from june 1976-december 1979 when i left to go back to usa. the 1972 ship was described by an old skipper as being built in a bicycle shop in pascagoula,miss. this ford type air craft carrier is more appropriate for mr miller as his later ship was sunk in 1943 in south pacific ocean by imperial japan submarine with loss of all hands. bravo zulu for us navy
james (not verified)
January 24, 2020 - 5:48pm
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navy hero
from a white navy veteran it is about damn time. heroes come in all colors, white, black, brown, yellow, red. thank God.
floyd farless (not verified)
January 31, 2020 - 9:14am
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ww2
My Dad serve with a fellow in the UCSG who was going to write a book about his family . Everybody kidded him about it. The fellows name was Haley. Dad was quite surprised later.
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