Remembering Pearl harbor While Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, and Rear Admiral Claude C. Bloch, Commandant of the 14th Naval District, stated at the time that “instances of valor were so great in number that they are too many to enumerate,” below are two, out of many individuals, who exemplified American values that day: Cook Third Class Doris “Dorie” Miller (photo, right), an African American sailor stationed on the USS West Virginia (photo, above), was one of many American heroes who took extraordinary action during the Pearl Harbor attacks. Despite having no prior training in operating the ship’s guns, he fearlessly manned a 50-caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun during the attack. He was later awarded the Navy Cross, along with numerous other honors, for his actions. Dorie Miller later served on the USS Indianapolis and USS Liscome Bay in the Pacific theater. The Liscome Bay was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine near the Gilbert Islands on November 24, 1943 and Miller died the following day. This Waco, Texas, native was buried in his hometown in a cemetery that is now named after him. Texas Congressional Representative Bill Flores introduced a Congressional bill this year to name the Waco VA Medical Center after Dorie Miller; as of this December 5, 2014, it has been approved by the House.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 23:00:00 +0000
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