What was Doris Miller job?

Sailor
Cook
Doris Miller/Professions

When did Dorie Miller join the military?

1939
Born October 12, 1919, in Waco, Texas, Miller joined the Navy in 1939 as a mess attendant one of the only occupational specialties then open to a Black man. In January 1940, he was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia (BB 48), stationed at Pearl Harbor.

Why could Miller not serve in a combat position in the Navy?

12, 1919, in Waco, Texas, where he was a high school football player, according to the Doris Miller Memorial in Waco. He enlisted in the Navy in 1939, when black sailors were not allowed to serve in combat positions. Because of his build, Miller, then 22, was assigned to carry wounded sailors to safety.

Was Doris Miller awarded the Medal of Honor?

In 1942, bills were introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to award Miller the Medal of Honor, according to Miller’s biographers, Thomas Cutrer and Michael Parrish.

How many planes did Dorie Miller shoot down?

He picked up a 50-caliber Browning antiaircraft machine gun on which he had never been trained and managed to shoot down three to four enemy aircraft.

How did Dorie Miller’s brave actions help change the military?

Doris Miller was one of the last three men to leave West Virginia. Even then, Miller helped scores of injured sailors to safety ashore. Of West Virginia’s 1,541 crewmembers, 106 were killed and 52 wounded. Seven of the eight American battleships in the harbor that day were sunk or badly damaged.

Who is Dorie Miller and what did he do?

Doris Miller, byname Dorrie, (born October 12, 1919, Waco, Texas, U.S.—died November 24, 1943, off Butaritari Atoll, Gilbert Islands), U.S. naval serviceman noted for his bravery during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (1941). He was the first African American recipient of the Navy Cross for valour.

How did Doris Miller change the military?

Doris Miller (October 12, 1919 – November 24, 1943) was a United States Navy cook third class who was killed in action during World War II. He was the first black American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the highest decoration for valor in combat after the Medal of Honor.