Did Dorie Miller receive the Medal of Honor? There are many questions surrounding this Waco native. She served as a second class mess attendant in the Navy during World War II, and was barred from combat duty. But in one of the most heroic acts of the war, Doris manned a machine gun at Pearl Harbor and saved the captain. Afterwards, she earned the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor. In addition to earning the Navy Cross, Doris Miller is also a member of Congress, and is also the mother of Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson.
Did Doris Miller get married?
Did you know that Doris Miller was the only African-American female recipient of the Medal of Honor? Born on October 12, 1919, she was the third child of sharecroppers. She was a talented fullback at the local high school. Her parents wanted her to be a girl, so they gave her a feminine name, Doris Miller. Growing up during the Great Depression, she took advantage of the opportunities to learn sewing and cooking and to practice her shooting skills. As a young woman, she developed great aim, especially when hunting.
She had longed to join the armed forces and applied to the military and the army. She was accepted by the US Navy in Dallas, Texas, on September 16, 1939. The service was segregated, and African Americans were only allowed to serve in a limited number of sectors. Her enlistment in the Navy triggered protests from the congressional delegation of Texas, but President Franklin D. Roosevelt intervened. According to Cutrer and Parrish, Secretary Knox was a racist who threatened to resign if the Navy desegregated. Doris Miller received the Medal of Honor, and the story of her remarkable service will remain in our minds for years to come.
Where is Doris Miller from?
Did you know that the first African-American woman to receive the Navy Cross was born in Waco, Texas? Doris Miller was born on October 12, 1919. She grew up working on her father’s farm. She was also a star fullback at her high school, A.J. Moore Academy. She later dropped out of school at age seventeen and became a cook at a local restaurant. At the age of twenty, she joined the US Navy and was assigned to the USS West Virginia.
She was born October 12, 1919, the third son of four boys, and she received her name from the midwife who delivered him. Her mother had wished for a girl. Her parents earned a living as sharecroppers. Her brothers also helped the family farm. She later developed incredible aim when she went hunting. She was known to shoot deer and wild turkeys, and she was a skilled hunter.
How many Japanese planes did Doris Miller shoot do
In 1942, the battleship West Virginia was attacked by carrier-launched aircraft of the Japanese Imperial Navy. Doris Miller, 22 years old at the time, was among the few survivors on board when the attack began. On December 7, 1941, she was collecting laundry and served breakfast mess on the West Virginia. As the torpedoes struck, a Japanese plane launched 7 torpedoes into the harbor. In addition to taking down the three Japanese planes, the West Virginia was badly damaged and gradually sinking into the harbor bottom. Fortunately, she and her fellow crew members were able to reach safety, and after a brief battle, Doris Miller and her shipmates swam 300 or 400 yards to safety. During the attack, Doris Miller helped rescue scores of injured sailors from the West Virginia.
As a crew member of the USS West Virginia, Miller was a renowned heavyweight boxer and former football player. On December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes were overhead, and Miller had just returned from helping the ship’s wounded crew. When she was returning, she saw that the Japanese were diving bombing the US Naval Fleet, so she grabbed her 50-caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun and began shooting. She is said to have shot down three or four planes and sunk two more.
What did Doris Miller do during the Pearl Harbor a
When she was a teenager, Doris Miller yearned to join the armed forces, and she applied to different branches of the military. She eventually enlisted in the US Navy and was assigned to the USS West Virginia. When the first bombs hit the ship in Pearl Harbor, she was on the main deck, collecting soiled laundry. She helped move the mortally wounded captain to the main deck. As a result, she was recognized and credited for her courage.
The ad states that the young woman was not trained to handle anti-aircraft machine guns. However, she did, and the communications officer told the story: “She was blazing away.” The ad shows how the young woman managed to fire the gun as the Japanese planes began diving bombing the men on deck. The West Virginia, despite the damage caused by the attack, eventually sank.
During the battle of Pearl Harbor, a black mess attendant was awarded the Navy Cross. A Pittsburgh Courier article revealed that the sailor’s name was Doris Miller. Following the publication of the article, senators and congressmen introduced bills to award a Medal of Honor to Miller. African American rights organizations fought for her recognition. The press hailed her as the first black US hero. However, some groups were against the recognition.
During the battle of Pearl Harbor, Miller made sure the safety of her crewmates by firing her 50-caliber anti-aircraft gun at Japanese warplanes. She managed to shoot down two planes, killing two Japanese soldiers. In spite of her service in the war, Miller was too old to enter the Naval Academy. At the age of twenty, the Navy Department considered her a midshipman between 17 and 21 years of age, the age limit for a young midshipman.
Miller enlisted in the Navy on 16 September 1939. When she was nineteen, she went to Dallas to enlist in the US Navy. The Navy at the time had severely limited the number of black members in the military. At the time, she was assigned to a third-class mess attendant position. But her outstanding service in the midst of racial discrimination made her stand out and earn her the Navy Cross.
What did Dorie Miller do at Pearl Harbor?
Dorie Miller was a former football player and boxer. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and she saw them from a distance. During the rescue mission, she was able to carry wounded Navymen to a safer location. She then saw the Japanese dive-bombing the US Naval Fleet and immediately grabbed a 50-caliber Browning antiaircraft machine gun and shot down three or four of them. The rest of the crew jumped to their feet and helped Miller carry the injured men to safety.
During the war, Dorrie Miller enlisted in the Navy less than a month before her twentieth birthday. She attended a recruiting center in Dallas and completed bootcamp training in Norfolk, Virginia. She was assigned to the USS West Virginia, which was at the time anchored at Pearl Harbor. On December 7, she went up on the main deck and collected soiled laundry. She then helped move the mortally wounded captain to safety.
Did Dorie Miller shoot down any planes?
Did Dorie Miller shoot down any planes during World War II? It is unclear, but this untrained gunner did fire on Japanese Zeros before the ship sank. Although a high school football champion, she had no formal training in the use of shipboard machine guns and therefore had to fire on unattended weapons. However, her efforts did bring down some planes. Miller received the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart. She did not survive World War II, however. The USS Liscome Bay was sunk by a Japanese submarine in November 1943.
Many people have questioned the honor Dorie Miller received as a Navy sailor, as she was the only black woman in the crew. Many people believe that this woman was simply doing her job, but she actually went above and beyond her job description. She served her country above and beyond expectations. Dorie Miller’s actions deserve more recognition than they received at the time. In the meantime, other Black men in the military such as Henry Johnson and John F. Kennedy were honored after overcoming discrimination.
What happened to Doris Miller after Pearl Harbor?
On December 7, 1941, Dorie Miller was up early to prepare breakfast. She was also collecting laundry from the ship’s officers’ quarters. As the torpedoes blasted the West Virginia, she was caught in the crossfire. The torpedo struck the battle station where she manned the anti-aircraft battery magazine. Luckily for her, she survived the attack and was later reassigned to the cruiser Indianapolis (CA 35).
In the middle of the attack, Miller and other crew members were assigned to the anti-aircraft battery magazine. Torpedoes damaged the magazine, and Miller was then assigned to carry wounded crewmen. Despite her young age, Miller was a skilled heavyweight boxer and was assigned to carry wounded comrades. After the attack, her parents were notified on the second anniversary of the disaster, which left them devastated.
After Pearl Harbor, Miller continued to serve her country. She was assigned to the battleshipWest Virginia, and despite being untrained, she managed to mann an anti-aircraft machine gun, and even shot down several Japanese planes. Doris Miller became an icon of the civil rights movement, and her story has inspired millions of people across the globe. Her heroic sacrifice proved that brotherhood is more than skin deep, and is not easily broken.
About The Author
Garrit Heinrich is a Hipster-friendly thinker. He's an avid web guru who has won awards for his bacon ninja skills. Hardcore coffee geek, Garrit loves learning about world records and how to break them. When he's not geeking out over the latest technology trends, you can find him exploring new cafes in search of the perfect cup of joe.