DORIS “DORIE” MILLER DESERVES MEDAL OF HONOR!
On December 7th our nation will remember the 2,004 members of the U.S. military who perished during the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to our nation’s involvement in World War II.
One of the sailors that performed heroic feats while defending his ship, the U.S.S West Virginia, and rescuing his fellow sailors, was a black Mess Attendant from Waco, Texas, Doris “Dorie” Miller who risked his life in flooding waters and toxic burning oil to save others.
For the past ten years I have been involved in an effort with members of Congress such as Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson of North
Texas to have the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award, bestowed upon Miller, an exemplary war hero.
In exchange for his deeds Miller only received an official “Letter of Commendation” from Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox. It was the lowest award for valor available at that time to members of the military. Only after the intervention of President Roosevelt and Admiral Chester Nimitz was Miller upgraded to the Navy Cross in May 1942.
Numerous naval historians other than me have concluded that he was not considered for the Medal of Honor because of clear and present racial bias against blacks in the Navy.
The racial views of Frank Knox have surfaced over the years and are now a matter of public record. As early as 1933 Knox supported the internment of Japanese-Americans.
During a meeting with President Roosevelt Knox informed the President that if he were asked to desegregate the Navy he would resign. He was subsequently quoted as saying that it was “simply impossible in the midst of a war to mix the races on the same ship.”
One of the officially stated justifications for upgrading a Navy Cross to the Medal of Honor is “racial bias.” Certainly any fair-minded individual reviewing evidence of his actions, which were included in the official report made by the senior surviving officer aboard the U.S.S West Virginia, would conclude that Miller’s deeds rose to Medal of Honor standards.
Now is the time that the Navy should correct the egregious wrong that was done to Miller because of the narrow-mindedness of those in positions of power such as Navy Secretary Frank Knox.
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**Ron Tarburton is an internationally recognized Medal of Honor Historian. He has testified before Congressional panels and military groups throughout the country. He currently resides in Tampa, Florida.
