Legionnaires honor WWII Black hero

Members of the American Legion Departments of Texas and New York helped honor a World War II hero who was the first African-American to be awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Doris “Dorie” Miller Memorial in Waco, Texas, was dedicated on the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 2021. The memorial is located in Bledsoe-Miller Park.

While aboard the USS West Virginia on Dec. 7, 1941, Mess Attendant Second Class Doris Miller was collecting laundry when the first Japanese bombs blasted his ship in Pearl Harbor. Miller went to the main deck where he helped move the mortally wounded captain to safety. He then raced to an unattended deck gun and fired at the attacking planes until forced to abandon ship.

Nearly two years after Pearl Harbor on Nov. 24, 1943, Miller was killed in action when his ship, Liscome Bay, was sunk in the Pacific Ocean by a Japanese submarine during the battle of the Gilbert Islands.

Members of Dorie Miller USN Memorial American Legion Post 213 in Brooklyn, N.Y., traveled to Waco to attend the dedication ceremony. From the Department of Texas, the event was attended by Department Commander Brett Watson, Past Department Commander John Hince, Department Chaplain Geri Hince, Department Historian Al Alford, 11th District Commander Jim Lilly, and others